International Women's Day 2024 Indian cardboard artist Bandana Jain: What it is like to be a female artist in India today

Bandana Jain: What it is like to be a female artist in India today

This International Women’s Day, Bandana Jain dives into what it is like to be a female artist in India, the challenges, as well as female artists who inspire her

Bandana Jain with her artwork 'Centre of Universe' from The Brown Age (2022)

Bandana Jain has come a long way since she made her way to Mumbai’s JJ School of Arts as a young and aspiring female artist. Honing her artistry by using corrugated cardboard as a medium, she set on the part of sustainability very early on and has grown by leaps and bounds since then.

Over the years, in her time as an artist, Bandana says being a female artist in India hasn’t been easy at all. She shares, “As we live in a male-dominated society. Our status is not seen at par with them, and our ability is always being judged.”

This often, she says, makes it difficult to get the opportunity that women in India deserve because the world is not that comfortable to rely on a woman. While things are getting better with time, Bandana says, getting entertained or being heard are both not that easy.

She shares, “Being an artist, it takes a lot of time to prove that as a female, I am the part of the art world and I am not going to leave my practice.” The fact that the art world does not want to invest in an artist unless they are sure that the artist will stay in practice forever is a tough ask on a woman.

However, she says if women get the opportunity and platform, they can do a lot with it, especially because the experiences of women are extremely unique. “Women have the ability to showcase experiential art with a unique perspective from their experiences. They have the ability to depict identity, representation, diversity and inclusion, empathy, love, and a visual of a society from a woman’s perspective. The passive voice getting echoed through art will be quite insightful,” she explains.

With that in mind, there is light at the end of the tunnel of art because that has evolved. She shares, “Now there are many opportunities that are being created for artists and especially for female artists in India. There is Kochi Biennale and other art programmes that are dedicated to it subject. In fact, these days there are also many female art curators. So yes, automatically the opportunities are rising and that is good for female artists in India.” Some of the notable names and trailblazers that Bandana admires for their dedication and commitment are Indian women from the art world like Mithu Basu, Brinda Miller, Anjolie Ela Menon and Arpita Singh.

As an artist with more than a decade of experience, Jain has a message for aspiring artists. She says, “Don’t hesitate to put a little extra effort than a male counterpart. Don’t give up. This industry takes time to reward you. So please be patient and trust yourself.”