UK
presents
ONE THOUSAND and ONE STORIES Most recent paintings by
JEROO ROY at the
Arndean Gallery 23 Cork Street London W1S 3NJ United Kingdom on Tuesday 13th May, 2008 6.30 pm onwards Exhibition continues till Saturday 17th May 2008 Chief Guest : Zerbanoo Gilford The founder of the ASHA Foundation and Centre, and former director of Anti-Slavery International
For further information please contact:
VAISHALI THAKKAR Tel : +44 (0) 208 930 1783 / 8204 3866 (M) 07951 433021 (India) +91 9979605751 info@visualartuk.com www.visualartuk.com
roy-final.indd 1
4/18/2008 8:27:16 PM
Jeroo Roy Jeroo Roy is a Parsee from Mumbai. She first studied art at the JJ School of Art in Mumbai and continued at the London College of Printing. She then worked as a designer on part-work magazines and as an illustrator of children’s books, two of which were both written and illustrated by her.
roy-final.indd 2-3
In 1982, Jeroo became involved in the building trade. This meant that the painting aspect of her life was put on hold, whilst she took on the demanding task of establishing herself as a female contractor in what was a tough world to break into.
4/18/2008 8:27:20 PM
awlowdown
In December’00, at the height of her building career, she retired from the trade to get back to painting. In September’01, her work were displayed at a group exhibition ‘Indian Painters in the UK and India’, organised by Visual Arts. In June ‘02, she had a very successful one person show at the Nehru Centre in central London, and in 2003, she exhibited at a group show at Bharati Vidhya Bhuvan. In March’05, two of her paintings were part of a group show at Cork Street Gallery, organised by Visual Art.
A PICTURE PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS ACCLAIMED ARTIST JEROO ROY TALKS TO PAYAL NAIR ABOUT HER PASSION FOR ART, HER CONSCIENCE-GRABBING PAINTINGS AND HER PLANS FOR THE FUTURE depict the innocence and resilience shown by children till they finally cave in to the violence and harshness of their lives – and some humourous, like the See All, Hear All, Do F*** All take on the famous Three Wise Monkeys cited in Gandhian philosophy. “I wanted to show how some people with the resources and capabilities to help others still choose to ignore the plight of the world·s suffering masses,” she says.
2004 is the year of the Girl Child in India. In January’04, Jeroo met three women’s groups in Kolkata, all who were involved in helping emotionally and physically battered women. She was shown mountains of case files and photographs. That moment was an important turning point for Jeroo as it was when she did not choose the subject, but the subject chose her. It got under her skin and she knew that the one talent she has –painting, she would henceforth do her best to bring awareness to others regards the plight of millions of women and children everywhere, as ‘violence’ knows no boundries. In April’04, Jeroo had a one person show at the Light Gallery, titled ‘WHEN MORE IS LESS’, in collaboration with Visual Arts. The issues painted were about Dowry related deaths, torture and suicides, female infanticide and foeticide, FGM (female genital mutilation), selling of the girl child for prostitution, and Honour related violence.
Jeroo, a Parsi from Mumbai, India, studied Commercial Art at the prestigious JJ School of Art in Mumbai and then Art with a message: The haunting image of a child victim pursued a career as an advertising executive here·s something about the in India·s commercial hub. However, when demeanour of Jeroo Roy that is she moved to the UK in 1963 with her Bengali understated, yet powerful. She husband, she continued with her art studies at is clearly a woman on a mission, the London College of Printing. During her albeit an unassuming one. Since eclectic career, she has also had a brief stint discovering a talent for art at a young age, as a children·s book illustrator. she has channelled her energies in recent years into producing some truly beautiful There then came a detour in her career in and inspiring works. But what makes Jeroo·s 1982 when she got into the maintenance paintings stand out further is the profound building trade with her husband, eventually establishing her own company in 1988. One social message behind each of them. can only imagine this demure, pretty lady As I enter her spacious home in North on a building site directing a group of burly London, my eyes immediately feast on an male builders. But, according to Jeroo, she array of striking images, some haunting – like had no problems doing this. “The stereotype the Children Under Siege series, which shows of the typical builder, whistling and shouting forlorn children trapped behind barbed wire to comments at women was not the norm on
my sites. And anyway, which woman isn·t flattered if she·s noticed by a man?” muses Jeroo. As if pre-empting my next question, she says, “I wouldn·t call myself a feminist. I·m just a human being who is against injustice. Everyone has a right to a good standard of life. So, I·d say I am more of an activist really, but I don·t like to be labelled.” In 2000, Jeroo decided that art was her main passion and withdrew from the building trade to concentrate fully on painting.
T
Jeroo Roy’s humourous take on the famous philosophical ‘Three Wise Monkeys’
118
roy-final.indd 4-5
4/18/2008 8:27:20 PM
This exhibition was very successful from the awareness point of view and continued at the Nehru Centre in September’04, with added new paintings, titled ‘WHAT HONOUR, WHOSE HONOUR’. Here she was interviewed by BBC radio and they also did a BBC Online article titled ‘Prick the viewer’s nerves’. This article got the attention of the New Scotland Yard/ Home Office, and Jeroo was invited to exhibit her paintings at their conference on HRV (Honour Related Violence); and in October’04, she was invited by Kvinnoforum, to exhibit at their International conference on HRV in Stockholm. In February’05, she exhibited relevant paintings for the Metropolitan Police/ Home Office Conference on ‘FORCED MARRAIGES, and in March’05, exhibited at their International Conference on HBV (honour based violence), at the Victoria Plaza Park Hotel. She has been invited to exhibit her works at two events of Amnesty International, one at the Oxo Tower South Bank, and at their headquarters in London. Articles about her work have been printed in magazines and newspapers, both here in the UK, Europe and in India. During the Indian Republic Day celebrations, Jeroo was invited to display some of her paintings for a week at the head offices of Manning Gottlieb. In 2005, she was approached by Zerbanoo Gifford of the Asha Foundation, to paint portraits of 208 women for the book jacket of her recently published book – confessions to a serial womaniser, secrets of the world’s inspirational women. The book launch took place on the 20th September’07 at the National Portrait Gallery, where a large frame 9’ x 4’, consisting portraits of 208 women was on display the whole week. The whole event was very successful and much acclaimed.
roy-final.indd 6-7
4/18/2008 8:27:23 PM
In March’08, during the International Women’s Festival in Oxford, Jeroo had an exhibition titled ‘Innocence Lost’, in collaboration with Amnesty International Oxfordshire group. Also in the same month, she was invited by the Nehru Centre to display her paintings on ‘Violence against Women & Children’, and ‘Child Bonded Slavery’, titled ‘Under Siege’. She was then invited by the Oxfordshire police to display relevant paintings at their one day conference on the28th March on ‘Honour Based Violence’ and ‘Forced Marriages’. For the last 16 weeks, every Saterday, Jeroo has been doing ‘Art’ with 7-8 years old Iranian Kurdish children. An experience she thoroughly enjoys and benefits to be spending time with ‘total innocence’, in comparison to her other serious and heavy subjects of paintings on violence. At present, Jeroo is working on a series of paintings titled ‘Working Children, & Child Bonded Slavery’ and ‘ Children under Siege’. In regards to her paintings related to ‘Violence against Women & the Girl Child’, she would like to work further with the younger generation to create awareness, as today’s little girls and boys, will be tomorrow’s young women and men. www.jerooroy.com – Jeroo Roy
roy-final.indd 8-9
4/18/2008 8:27:23 PM
‘3 Generations and a Bird 2 Linocut’ acrylic on canvas 7”x 7”
roy-final.indd 10-11
4/18/2008 8:27:23 PM
‘Children under siege 5’ acrylic on canvas 12”x 12”
roy-final.indd 12-13
4/18/2008 8:27:23 PM
‘3 Generations and a Bird Linocut’ acrylic on canvas 7”x 7”
roy-final.indd 14-15
4/18/2008 8:27:23 PM
‘xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx’ acrylic on canvas 00”x 00”
title and size ?
roy-final.indd 16-17
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘Child labour at quarry site-1’ acrylic on canvas 20”x 36”
roy-final.indd 18-19
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘Hand that create - A’ acrylic on canvas 48”x 36”
roy-final.indd 20-21
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘What if’ acrylic on canvas 20”x 20”
roy-final.indd 22-23
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘Child labour at quarry site’ acrylic on canvas 20”x 36”
roy-final.indd 24-25
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘Children under siege 2’ acrylic on canvas 12”x 12”
roy-final.indd 26-27
4/18/2008 8:27:24 PM
‘Born, Bought, Broken & Groomed’ acrylic on canvas 36”x 14”
roy-final.indd 28-29
4/18/2008 8:27:25 PM
‘Children under siege 3’ acrylic on canvas 12”x 12”
roy-final.indd 30-31
4/18/2008 8:27:25 PM
title? ‘Children under siege’ acrylic on canvas 12”x 12”
roy-final.indd 32-33
4/18/2008 8:27:25 PM
‘Creation, Destruction’ acrylic on canvas 20”x 20”
roy-final.indd 34-35
4/18/2008 8:27:25 PM
‘Outsider 2’ watercolour on paper 18”x 11”
roy-final.indd 36-37
4/18/2008 8:27:25 PM
‘No title’ acrylic on canvas 16”x16”
roy-final.indd 38-39
4/18/2008 8:27:26 PM
‘Hands that create 1A’ acrylic on canvas 20”x36”
roy-final.indd 40-41
4/18/2008 8:27:26 PM
UK Design : Sunil Sud
roy-final.indd 42
17 Salehurst close, Harrow Middlesex HA3 0UG, UK Tel: +44 (0) 208 930 1783 / 8204 3866 (M) 07951 433021 Email : info@visualartuk.com www.visualartuk.com Printed by : Saroja Communication
4/18/2008 8:27:26 PM