Lotus-Eaters | Shailee Mehta & Caroline Wong

5 May - 11 June 2022

indigo+madder is thrilled to present Lotus-Eaters, an exhibition that brings together new paintings by Shailee Mehta and Caroline Wong.

Both artists paint women - either playful portraits in intimate interior spaces, saturated with colour, or bodies entangled within hybrid terrains, where nature is steadily (re)encroaching upon the urban. The paintings negotiate otherness, explore sexuality and subvert the male gaze to discover the ripe potential and possibilities of embodied pleasure, intimacy and desire.

As a point of departure, the exhibition takes some of the underlying themes explored in the tale of the Lotus Eaters in Homer’s Odyssey, alongside those related to lotus imagery and symbolism. In the Odyssey, lotus eaters are described as gentle beings who only consume the lotus plant, which keeps them in a constant state of blissful forgetfulness. The lotus flower is also a prevalent motif across many Asian cultures and is considered symbolic of sensuality, creativity and spirituality. The paintings respond to these themes in multiple, often subversive ways, to construct personal mythologies, map the human psyche, and explore new perspectives on belonging.

Mehta’s figures are imagined in radical settings, where nature, wildlife and bodies seem to merge. The spaces she creates in her work are inspired by memories, personal remembrance, nostalgia and our current collective experiences. In Disruptor / In Tacit Accordance, an atmosphere of general languor pervades. The figures occupy a liminal space, that lies somewhere between wild and domestic. The blurring of lines between interior/exterior, natural/domesticated also alludes to our understanding of the inner self and destabilises simplistic classifications, not only of wild and domestic, but also of human and nonhuman. A tender, sinuous branch and a pair of wolfdogs are seen slinking into the interiors. A bat flies in through a window that overlooks a vast expanse of jagged hills. A sense of mystery permeates this charged scene, as ideas related to desire, vulnerability, and the role of the senses are explored. Mehta’s works subvert patriarchal tropes, gendered discourse and delve into our instinctual impulses to recover lost modes of being within nature and the construction of personal identity. Mehta groupings of figures also celebrate intergenerational relationships between women, where the male gaze is cast aside, and protective, healing rituals are explored through the movements of the body within spaces of comfort.

In A Troublesome Arrangement, a panther charges diagonally across the space, tripping a figure in its path. Both seem to be in a stupor, seemingly being carried away by yearning. Mehta draws inspiration from South Asian mythology where animals are often depicted as attributes or carriers of powerful beings. A mythical, beyond-human space is created in the work, which acts as a bridge between the natural environment and contemporary urban terrains. The colours and rendering make the figures appear to be merging into the background, hinting at a more untamed mode of being. A personal narrative exploring sexual tension, desire, and the awkwardness of bodies, plays out. The scene also explores the narratives of looking, being looked at, and the othering of bodies of colour, to take on multiple meanings.

Wong, a portraitist, places her Asian subjects in everyday settings. Her paintings are evocative, playful portraits of women eating and feasting on comforting, messy or indulgent food, or relaxing within their personal spaces of comfort. She is interested in a subversive response to traditional, restricted representations of Asian women and exploring ideas of otherness and belonging. Her confident, energetic marks depict scenes of rebellious, hedonistic desire. Xian Wei, which means umami – considered one of five basic tastes, depicts an intimate group eating Chinese food with wild abandon. One of the figures playfully stares back, while the other two (the central figure is a self-portrait of the artist) are engrossed in eating joyfully. The work explores themes of exclusion, kinship and the lived experience of being an Asian woman, whilst rejecting any docile tropes, racism, stereotypes and fetishization. Eating is often erotically charged, and the depiction of excess, abundance, unrestrained consumption, and the rejection of social anxiety, reflects a natural mode of being and challenges prevalent attitudes towards women’s behaviour and sensual pleasure.

Sugar Slump depicts the aftermath of a celebration, a moment of languor after over consumption of food and drink. Colour is also used to evoke aromatics – the heady scent of incense, the heat of the environment and the aroma of the food are all inspired by Wong’s memories of time spent in China and Malaysia. The figures are slumped against each other, as if in a trance, within bright interiors that seem suffused with an airy fragrant haze. Marigold orange (Betty) depicts a rich scene of pattern and chaos. Wong is inspired by traditional textiles that evoke a domestic environment – batiks from Malaysia and hand crocheted fabrics, all contribute to a sense of place. Betty is playful positioned across the canvas, enjoying a delectable spread, surrounded by a riot of colour and pattern. The painting brings together floral imagery, aromatic sensory temptations, and nostalgic memories of place, to explore the sensuous self.

Both Mehta and Wong find inspiration in the work of figurative painters from diverse backgrounds – from the paintings of Bonnard, Toulouse Lautrec and Degas; the work of women artists such as Paula Rego, Dorothea Tanning and Nancy Spero, to the genres of Ukiyo-e, Chinese nianhua and Kalighat painting. By expressing their own distinctive lived experiences and styles, the artists’ paintings push the conversation forward. Both create safe spaces in their work, and subvert mainstream portrayals of women of colour, to express an empowered and jubilant sense of being.

Shailee Mehta (b. 1998, India) lives and works in Mumbai. She completed her Foundation Diploma from UAL, London in 2015 and her BFA at The Slade School of Fine Art in 2020. Exhibitions include In the Belly of a Slovenly Cow, a solo with Residence Gallery, London, 2020; Run with the Wolves, Lawrie-Shabibi, Dubai, 2021; Les Danses Nocturnes, East Contemporary, France, 2021; A Small Dent in the Air, Grove Collective, London, 2021 and All Is Not Lost 20:20:20, Sakshi Gallery, Mumbai, 2020; and STOMACH, Hoxton Arches Gallery, London 2017.

Caroline Wong (b. 1986, Malaysia) lives and works in London. She received a Diploma in Contemporary Portraiture from The Art Academy (2018) and an MA in Fine Art from City and Guilds Art School (2021). Exhibitions include Friends and Family, Pi Artworks, London, 2022; In the Land of Cockaigne, Quench Gallery, Margate, 2022; I Have Eaten It, Open Space Contemporary x Refettorio Felix, London, 2022; Saturnalia, Purslane x Art City Works [online]; The Dinner Table, Sanmei Gallery, London, 2021; ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London, 2021; MA Show, City and Guilds of London Art School, 2021; Out of the Frying Pan and into the Woods, New Normal Projects x One Four Seven, London, 2021; Euphoric, Procrastinarting [online], Drawn Out, Drawing Room, London, 2021 and Drawing Biennial 2021, Drawing Room, London.