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Aranyani

1996
Not on view
Mukherjee is primarily known for her fiber sculptures. Inspired by nature, Aranyani is a free standing work in deep hues of red and purple. The title translate as Goddess of the Forests. Seen frontally, the work appears to be in a state of unfurling, and its configuration of folds emphatically bringing to mind female genitalia. Unabashedly erotic, Mukherjee’s depiction of sexuality here is compelling for its focus on the potentiality, not culmination, of pleasure.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Aranyani
  • Artist: Mrinalini Mukherjee (Indian, Mumbai 1949–2015 New Delhi)
  • Date: 1996
  • Medium: Hemp
  • Dimensions: 55 7/8 × 50 × 40 15/16 in. (142 × 127 × 104 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of the Estate of Mrinalini Mukherjee, in celebration of the Museum's 150th Anniversary, 2020
  • Object Number: 2020.211.2
  • Rights and Reproduction: Mrinalini Mukherjee Foundation
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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