Visible and Invisble

Visible/Invisible is a landmark publication accompanying a three-year-long exhibition that re-examines the representation of women in art history through the lens of the Museum’s collection. Moving beyond conventional narratives, it addresses preconceived notions of femininity and gender as a social construct, offering a more inclusive and layered understanding of women’s place in art and society.

For centuries, women have been central subjects in artistic representation, yet the image-makers have largely been male, limiting women’s agency in shaping their own portrayals. This volume revisits those dominant narratives while also foregrounding counter-histories and alternative voices that speak to women’s lived realities. Themes of sacrifice, nourishment, desire, aggression, abandonment, struggle, success, and power dynamics run throughout, weaving together stories that are as diverse as they are revealing.

Featuring approximately 130 artworks spanning the tenth century to the contemporary, the book brings together sculptures, textiles, posters, paintings, and photographs by a wide range of artists and makers. Organised into four key sections - Goddess and Mortal, Sexuality and Desire, Power and Violence, Struggle and Resistance - the publication illuminates how women’s lives have been represented, the spaces they occupy, and the challenges they have faced across the Indian subcontinent.

Richly illustrated and critically engaging, Visible/Invisible does not claim to be exhaustive but instead invites reflection, dialogue, and questioning. Through accompanying research, essays, and associated programmes, it encourages readers to rethink inherited narratives and confront the complexities of gender representation in art.