A Homage to the Women and their Journeys

WOMEN PASSING- ACT II

Solo Exhibition by Stéphanie Arpels

13th to 22nd MARCH

1 AQ Gallery

Appearing in different shapes, sizes, moving from the foreground to the background, the women are seen traversing different worlds as their faces on the silhouettes appear glaringly real.

Artist Stephanie Arpels, Women Passing Act II

Canvas Color

Shades of beige, white and darker colors invade the canvases, translating the contrasts of the various worlds; the objective being to observe the inner beauty of these women suspended in time and space.

Guest List

Attendees at the preview included Dana Purcarescu, Deputy Chief of Mission, French Embassy, Artist Jatin Das, Sakti Burman and wife Maite Delteil, Designers Hemant & Didier as well as Devyani Sahai, Associate Director, 1AQ and Seema Bhalla, art critic.

L to R_ Artist Stephanie Arpels, Deputy Chief of Mission, French Embassy, Dana Purcarescu

A Word from the Artist Stephanie

“I have dedicated my work to subliming women. On my canvases, I idealize the perfection of the female form with the use of shapes. I interpret women resting, squatting, dreaming, moving, marveling, walking and observe that they remain smiling even in the most dire conditions. I use powerful colors such as black, red and blue to unveil the sensuality of the curve of women’s bodies, but also love, anger, power, life, evoking what I witness daily. More recently, I have begun introducing collages on my paintings as a way to dress up my women, to respect their emotions and their intimacy while describing the diversity and depth of their feelings. Women’s status has been my concern for the longest time. I am passionate about them and their fragilities, their strengths and their complexities.”

L to R_ Artist Stephanie Arpels, Pramod Kapoor, Founder, Roli Books, Photographer Parul Sharma

About Stephanie Arpels

From a young age, Stephanie has been attracted to painting and fine art. She began practising as a teenager. Prior to her move to India in 2015, she had set up a holistic practise dedicated to women wellbeing where she guided and supported women in their efforts to explore their confidence and femininity. As a result, she helped hundreds of women in accepting themselves physically and morally. During this time, she had also started to paint and found that these interactions had significantly influenced her creativity.

Women Passing Act II – Artwork 3

Self-taught, Stephanie believes her work to be a healing process which helps her live with a life-altering disease. Her move to India also significantly impacted her work as she was moved by the vastness, diversity and contrasts embodied in the country. In 2018, she received an award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on the occasion of International Women’s Day for excellence in the field of art.