Faces In the Mirror

What is universal to the experience of womanhood? How does a woman artist flourish in the contemporary landscape? These are the queries that inform the practice of Bengaluru-based Franco-Indian artist Olympe Ramakrishna. “It is my gender—being a woman—that has had the most profound impact on who I am today,” she says. “In many ways, I have been shaped and conditioned by my gender identity. It took me a very long time to become aware of this conditioning, and I am still working on understanding and deciphering it.”

An embodiment of this exploration is her exhibition, Women of Urban India, on display at the Alliance Française de Delhi from March 8-18, aptly coincid­ing with International Women’s Day. The installation is composed of 12 portraits of women made on panels of large dupion silk, which hang from the ceiling. Though each panel depicts individual women, they are meant to be viewed together as a unified whole.

The artist’s unique method involves photographing the original canvases painted in oil, and digitally printing them onto large textured silk panels, to mimic the pallu of a sari. Hence, traditional creative techniques are moulded with modern, advanced textile printing technology. The result calls to mind a familiar scene from the streets of India—where vibrant saris are often draped on rooftop terraces as they dry, before being adorned as garments. “In this way, these women, these forces, become floating, light, and fluid. Suspended on wires, they are free to move with the ambient air currents, creating a palpable sense of atmosphere,” explains Ramakrishna.

Originally from Normandy in France, a place steeped in a rich history of its own, Ramakrishna grew up in a family of artists. Her mother was a sculptor and art teacher, and her father worked in fashion. Encouraged by this artistic environment, she attended life model sketching and painting sessions for seven years at the Beaux-Arts, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, and the Atelier Artmedium in Paris, as well as the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Her keen interest in painting life models stems from her fondness for engaging with her subjects in real time to capture their form as well as personalities and presence.

After moving to India 15 years ago for marriage, she immersed herself in the vibrant culture and visual traditions of her adoptive country. Her artistic prac­tice is, therefore, deeply shaped by both French and Indian traditions. Western influences include the academic por­traiture of French neo-classical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, the luminous realism of Flemish primitive painters like Johannes Vermeer, and the poetic botanical art of Pierre-Joseph Red­outé. The long tradition of symbolism in medieval art and the dreamlike visions of Gustave Moreau, Paul Gauguin and Gustav Klimt, have also had a strong impact on her.

From India, she draws on the intri­cate details of miniature paintings and the narrative richness of Company-era paintings, focussing particularly on the vibrant approach to colour in Indian art. “This dual artistic tradition allows me to explore themes of identity and cultural intersections. Through my work, I seek to create a dialogue between these influ­ences, weaving together elements from both traditions to forge a distinctive visual language that reflects my Indo- French journey,” she adds.

The city of Bengaluru, where Ra­makrishna has made her home, also influences her strongly. Its ancient traditions reflected in its temples, age-old festivals, and deep-rooted cultural practices, and its emergence as one of the world’s fastest-growing hubs for technology and artificial intelligence make a striking contrast, offering plenty food for thought.

Women of Urban India is perhaps the best evocation of the interesting confluence of past and future, East and West. Through 12 portraits, she crafts a story that captures the essence of Indian women in an urban landscape. They are depicted in the process of adapting to a world evolv­ing at an unprecedented pace, yet still deeply rooted in its traditions and his­tories. It is their resilience and ability to navigate a rapidly transforming society that fascinates Ramakrishna.

The portraits are painted in earthy and subdued tones, inspired by the colour palettes of European masters, yet warm reds, yellows and browns of India are also prevalent. Detailed backdrops are eschewed for solid colours to display interesting layers of depth. The women themselves are striking. While some are painted as full figures dressed in a variety of clothing, others face the viewer completely with a piercing, almost confrontational, gaze.

Roopashree with its distinctive insect earrings and Lux with a floral vine adorning her hair, are works that express Ramakrishna’s love of nature and her interest in the sym­bolism that defines botanical art.

Sneha with its intense gaze, repre­sents women asserting their place in the professional world, in roles that were once considered beyond their reach. Though a lawyer by profes­sion, the model, Sneha, is dressed in the attire of Maharaja Yashwant Rao Holkar II, as seen in a portrait from the last century by French painter and sculptor Bernard Boutet de Mon­vel. A garnet-hued turban crowns her head and exquisite jewellery adorns her chest, embodying both strength and elegance, as she seeks to redefine traditional gender roles.

In contrast to this is the full form in Chandu, where the eponymous model dons a grey dress against a pink backdrop. The position of her hands—one held up to bestow blessings and the other pointing downwards to provide stability by offering protection and dispelling fear—references Raja Ravi Varma’s goddess Lakshmi. Her dichotomy in dress and stance explores the concept of a society in transition, as women embrace global influences while staying rooted in tradition and cul­tural identities.

The enigmatic Charisma bears a braided hairstyle upon which rests the branch of a jackfruit tree with a little bird perched on it. Ramakrishna ad­mits to being inspired by the botanical art of Sheikh Zain al-Din’s Black-hooded Oriole and Insect on Jackfruit Stump from the Company school of painting. Cha­risma’s blue hair signifies her belliger­ent spirit, which refuses to conform to expectations. “She reminds us that she is free, just like the little bird perched above her head,” says the artist.

Charisma also makes an appear­ance in Olympe, the artist’s self-portrait, where she paints herself in the manner of court painters from the Mughal manuscript tradition. She sits cross-legged in a side profile, draped in a striking white-and-ochre striped sari, painting Charisma. Her earring features Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, in reference to her son Leonard, to add an intimate and per­sonal detail to the composition.

This piece perhaps describes Ramakrishna’s practice best. She explains, “Through this layered con­struction, the painting becomes a dia­logue between artistic traditions and time. Charisma’s unfinished portrait nods to the European painterly tradi­tion, while my self-portrait echoes the medieval styles that shaped the Indian subcontinent. The Mona Lisa, a Renaissance masterpiece, subtly links the work to my personal story. By interweaving these influences, I position myself at the intersection of multiple artistic heritages, bridging past and present.”

With a practice so focussed on a singular subject, one wonders if Ramakrishna has faced challenges being a woman in today’s artistic land­scape. Pausing to reflect, she responds: “Women have carved out a place for themselves in the art world in India, but significant challenges remain. For instance, very few residencies ac­commodate artists with their families or adapt to school holidays, even though residencies play a crucial role in an artist’s career today. In fact, they have become almost indispensable for an artistic career. The intersection of motherhood and the professional trajectory of women artists remains a key issue in the fight for gender equal­ity. But this situation is not unique to India—the same struggles must be fought everywhere.”

(Olympe Ramakrishna’s Women of Urban India is on display from March 8-18 at the Alliance Française de Delhi)

Alliance Française de Delhiart ExhibitionOlympe Ramakrishnawomen issue 2025Women of Urban India