[Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache

APRE Art House is pleased to present [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache, curated by Shristi Sainani, presenting the works of 14 phenomenal artists –

Meher Afroz Vahid, Prachee Batra, Kanchan Chander, Aakriti Chandervanshi, Mayuri Chari, Piyali Ghosh, Hemavathy Guha, Sanna Irshad Mattoo, Menty Jamir, Sadhvi Jawa, Mrudula Kunatharaju, Bhairavi Modi, Krishna Popaliya and Ahalya Rajendran.

When it is said to ‘stop bellyaching’ they mean, to cease complaining about something that seems unreasonable or unjustified. Actions, intentions, words and dilemmas are deliberately caged, trapped in layers between sediments. They turn to secrets, veil, endless pits of rubble that turn heavy. The gut feels full, then again, there is a bellyache — an ache to reveal, an ache to set free, an ache to unravel the hidden bits which make the very foundation of (a) being. The exhibition [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache looks towards texts by poet Gertrude Stein and philosopher Simone de Beauvoir. Gertrude Stein’s poem, ‘Tender Buttons’ was radical in a sense that it was where words and objects merged. Autonomy was granted to make meanings. Similarly, de Beauvoir’s Second Sex actively shunned assigned constructs which are not inherent temperaments, but a learning through socialisation, for the upkeep of an existent patriarchal system. It said,

“let her have her independent existence and she will continue nonetheless to exist…
mutually recognising each other as subject, each will yet remain for the other an other.”

Feebly stitched buttons of a garment, when forced to expand beyond capacity will unfasten, or even break to being unruly. The presentation of [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache intends to stray away from the vicious circle of societal formations, keeping in mind the context of South Asia which has underlying traditions and currents of suppression. [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache gives agency to artists to realise manifestations that reflect personal narratives, socio-cultural encounters and overheard histories.

Shristi Sainani
Independent Curator (New Delhi, India)

Curated by Shristi Sainani, [Tender buttons, and a] Bellyache, and runs from the 15th April to the 15th May 2023, at APRE Art House on Plot no. 28, Sanghvi House, 3rd Pasta Lane, Market in Colaba, Mumbai (Maharashtra). The gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 11 am to 6:30 pm.