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Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time

December 12, 2014–July 12, 2015
    Chitra Ganesh (American, born 1975). Eyes of Time (detail), 2014. Mixed-media wall mural. Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco. © Chitra Ganesh. Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum
    Chitra Ganesh (American, b.1975). Page 1 from Tales of Amnesia, 2002. Inkjet print, 81⁄2 x 7 in. (21.6 × 17.8 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Gallery Wendi Norris, San Francisco
    Shoichi Ida (Japanese, 1941–2006). Between Vertical and Horizon—Descended Triangle No. 6, 1987. Color aquatint, sheet: 26 × 225⁄8 in. (66 × 57.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Nancy Genn, 1991.215.9. © Estate of Shoichi Ida
    Barbara Jones-Hogu (American, b. 1938). Relate to Your Heritage, 1971. Screenprint, 34 × 43 in. (86.4 × 109.2 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of R. M. Atwater, Anna Wolfrom Dove, Alice Fiebiger, Joseph Fiebiger, Belle Campbell Harriss, and Emma L. Hyde, by exchange; Designated Purchase Fund, Mary Smith Dorward Fund, Dick S. Ramsay Fund, and Carll H. de Silver Fund, 2012.80.26. Photo: Sarah DeSantis, Brooklyn Museum
    Kiki Smith (American, b. Germany, 1954). Untitled from Banshee Pearls, 1991. Lithograph, 221⁄2 x 301⁄2 in. (57.2 × 77.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Emily Winthrop Miles Fund, 1999.17.3. © Kiki Smith
    Indian. The Goddess Matangi, circa 1760. Opaque watercolor, gold, and silver on paper, 111⁄4 x 161⁄4 in. (28.6 × 41.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Anonymous gift, 84.201.9. Photo: Brooklyn Museum
    Egypt. Seated Statuette of Sakhmet, 664–332 B.C.E. Bronze, 7 × 13⁄4 in. (17.8 × 4.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 08.480.28

    Exploring ideas of femininity, empowerment, and multiplicity, Brooklyn-based artist Chitra Ganesh draws inspiration from the Museum’s encyclopedic collection, including representations of the goddess Kali, to create a site-specific multimedia installation for the Herstory Gallery.

    Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time centers on a monumental mural that takes Kali, the Hindu goddess of destruction and rebirth, and other figures from Judy’s Chicago’s The Dinner Party as starting points for portraying female power and plurality. The artist expands on this theme by showcasing works from our Egyptian, Indian, and Contemporary collections.

    For more than a decade, Ganesh has used the iconography of mythology, literature, and popular culture to bring to light feminist and queer narratives. One of her first major works, Tales of Amnesia (2002)—a zine inspired by Indian comic books that the Museum acquired out of our 2004 exhibition Open House: Working in Brooklyn—is also on view.

    Chitra Ganesh: Eyes of Time is organized by Saisha Grayson, Assistant Curator, Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum.

    This exhibition is made possible by the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation.

    Organizing department

    Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art

    Media

    Watch a time-lapse video of the installation of Eyes of Time.