Fifteen women artists reinterpret Ajeet Cour’s writings through powerful visual narratives.
Participating artists and the curator, L-R, Manmeet Devgun, Arandhana Tandon, Shubika Lal, Aparna Anand, Kanchan Chander, Shiwani Agarwal, Jayashree Burman, Arpana Caur, Jyoti Kathpalia.
“But there came a time when from among the ashes accumulated over the years, I rose like a smouldering ember, phoenix-like, gathered and shook myself, like a wild animal shakes the hair on its body, and looked around, with newly opened eyes,” — this evocative line from Padma Shri Ajeet Cour’s autobiography Weaving Water has been a source of inspiration for countless women since its release.
Now, Cour’s words have found a fresh interpretation through art. Weaving Water: Feminine Countercultures in Paint and Print — an exhibition showcasing the works of 15 leading Indian women artists — visually translates themes from Cour’s life and writings. The exhibition, on view from October 30 to November 9, 2025, at the Kamla Devi Complex, India International Centre, New Delhi, also features a 32-minute Sahitya Akademi film titled Water Weaver, directed by Meera Dewan, chronicling Cour’s life.
Curated by Jyoti A. Kathpalia, the show was inaugurated in the presence of Prof. Ashis Nandy, K.N. Shrivastava, and Ajeet Cour herself. The exhibition pairs excerpts from Weaving Water with corresponding artworks, each serving as a powerful visual response. The result is a compelling dialogue between word and image—exploring gender, resistance, and the redefinition of the feminine self.
“The exhibition draws from the strength of women who fight to be heard within an oppressive family and social structure, through the vivid medium of Ajeet Cour’s words and the expressive power of visual art,” explains Kathpalia.
Among the artists featured are Anupam Sud, Arpana Caur, Gogi Saroj Pal, Jayasri Burman, Vasudha Thozur, Durga Kainthola, Shivani Aggarwal, and Shubhika Lal. Each presents a unique exploration of feminine resilience — from Sud’s portrayal of ageing female bodies to Gogi Saroj Pal’s Nirbhaya series, depicting defiant, naked women wielding sickles. Jayasri Burman merges women and wild cats to express ferocity, while Shubhika Lal’s handstitched door symbolises emancipation. Vasudha Thozur’s triptych lays bare the haunting violence women endure.
Performance artist Manmeet Devgun opened the event with a ten-minute live act inspired by Water Weaver. Dressed in white, she scrubbed a cooking pot with her Phulkari dupatta — a metaphor for women’s labour and cleansing through suffering — as Cour’s Punjabi verses echoed in the background.
The exhibition’s multidisciplinary nature — spanning performance, oil and acrylic paintings, printmaking, sculpture, and installations — highlights the deep interplay between literature and art. “Art and writing both tell stories and express intensities. We need more such dialogues between mediums,” says Cour, who shares her lifelong connection to both through her daughter, artist Arpana Caur.
Kathpalia adds, “Gender inequality and oppression have been normalised within family and community structures. Behind the façade of normalcy lie silence and suppressed hysteria. This exhibition questions that reality and reimagines the feminine.”
As Cour approaches her 91st birthday, her creative energy remains undiminished. She is set to host the 66th SAARC Literature Festival (November 9–12, 2025) and release her new book The Blue Potter: The Creative Genius of Punjab with Aleph Publications.
Through Weaving Water, both the book and exhibition, Cour’s indomitable spirit continues to inspire a new generation of artists and writers to rise — phoenix-like — from their own ashes.
Exhibition Dates: October 30 – November 9, 2025
Venue: Art Gallery, Kamla Devi Complex, India International Centre, New Delhi
(By Noor Anand Chawla – lifestyle writer and blogger at www.nooranandchawla.com)
