“I belonged to a country which also had a great tradition of its own. It was the heritage which had in a thousand ways folded me. And, so though I was at the moment living, learning and growing in the West, I should still find my own way to myself, rooted in the great Indian tradition.” - Meera Mukherjee

On the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of artist Meera Mukherjee, Akar Prakar presents ‘Meera Mukherjee: Life in all Things’ to celebrate her life and works.

Even though we never had the honour of meeting this brilliant artist, we seem woven into her world in mysterious ways, so much so, that for several years now, it has led us to gather information on her life through family, friends, people and patrons who knew Meera closely, and of course through the many writings, books, photographs, we found, both by her and by others on her.

Meera is unravelled as “the woman behind the metal”, as a woman of flesh and blood. In the initial years of trial and toil, she started turning each pebble to a new path and no trouble seemed enough for her at one time. This exhibition is dedicated to remembering Meera and her genius, her commitment to her art, through the various mediums that she used during her journey as an artist, from wooden dolls to ceramic tiles, plaster of Paris to carvings on marble and terracotta works both large and intimate, drawings and paintings and finally her sculptures in Bronze which defined her artistic practice and which she struggled to create inspite of her financial constraints. She would often plough back the funds she received from her sale to create more sculptures. We know that Meera often gave these away as gifts and was shy of asking for the price of the work, and would sometimes use the weight of the bronze to define the price of the sculpture! Such was the simplicity of Meera. With passion and love, Meera brought rhythm and music, devotion and dedication, into everything she created. Through her art, she sings to us the theme which is life.

Meera Mukherjee

Born in Calcutta in 1923, Meera Mukherjee drew her inspiration for her art from the common man. Ordinary people doing everyday things found a manifestation in her art. Fishermen, weavers, women stitching - had all been subjects for her work. Meera was a painter as well as a sculptor. In the latter field, she developed her unique technique for making wax sculptures. Bengali calligraphy also often found its way into her work. And, music and dance were her favourite subjects. Through the years, she was actively involved in the research of folk metal castings and the casting techniques of classical Indian sculptures.

Meera Mukherjee initially studied painting at ISOAS, College of Art New Delhi but switched to sculpture at the Delhi Polytechnic. Her European sojourn with its diverse art forms, both ancient and modern, opened her eyes to the suitability of one’s own culture as a personal idiom. It was then that she lived with the tribes in Bastar, Madhya Pradesh, India and Dhokra(West Bengal), where she learned the lost wax casting technique. With her studies of bronze casting in Chennai, she developed her own technique which is an amalgam of the folk, South Indian and the Western method. Her close contact with the rural world crystallized in her sculptures as women repairing fishing nets, stitching and embroidering, grading wheat and generally toiling away. Her imagery also includes objects from myth and folklore, refer lost-wax process, cire perdu, and casting.

There are two distinct features that represent the spirit of Meera's work. The first is the celebration of humanism and the other is an ardent desire to break free from a routine and enjoy freedom.