One Mother, Many Mother Tongues explores motherhood through Indian and Italian art

The Consulate General of Italy in Bengaluru, in collaboration with the National Gallery of Modern Art and the Ministry of Culture presents One Mother, Many Mother Tongues — an art exhibition that celebrates the shared artistic and cultural heritage between Italy and India through the universal theme of mother and child. It also marks the forthcoming India-Italy Year of Culture and Tourism in 2027. The exhibits explore an array of ancient Indian and Italian sculptures made out of schist, sandstone, terracotta and tufa. We speak to Giandomenico Milano, Consul General of Italy in Bengaluru, about choosing the exhibition theme and Andrea Anastasio, co-curator, to delve deeper into the exhibits and their visual images signifying motherhood. “India and Italy are two extraordinarily old civilisations with rich cultural, feminine identities and traditions. This exhibition is a platform to connect the profound values of two civilisations across time and geography,” begins Giandomenico.

A highlight of the exhibition is popular Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli’s Madonna and Child (1490). This oil painting is rich in colour and metaphor, depicting Madonna in a blue cloak with stars embroidered, alluding to her as the protector of the sky. She holds baby Jesus, who is looking away to foreshadow his crucifixion. It differs from Sandro’s usual portrayals of Madonna and Child, characterised by melancholy and sorrow vis-a-vis the cheerful scenarios. “It is more than a religious icon — an idealised beauty standing independently, from an anthropological and art history perspective,” explains Andrea.

Many of these works originate from remote locations and preserve artistic traditions that remain largely unseen by wider audiences. The oldest Indian sculpture is a small terracotta statuette from Harappa dating back to 2500 BC. Traversing further into the medieval period reinforces the persistent and diverse Indian iconography through Skandamata in black schist of the sixth century AD, sourced from a remote temple in Thaneshwar. Jyeshta of the Pallava dynasty is from Mathura and Indrani — made out of white marble — is a ninth-century AD piece from Baroda. Traditional ideas of mothers as nurturers contrast with a violent approach when Chamunda, a twelfthcentury goddess willing to kill to protect, juxtaposes with Botticelli’s Madonna and Child, where she sacrifices her child to protect the world.

Adding to these collections are Saptamatrikas, Yoginis, Dasa Mahavidyas and Haritis of the Kushana period from Mathura, paired with another from Andhra Pradesh to provide an alternative lens to motherhood. They modify the lens of motherhood as ogresses protecting children. “Haritis kidnapped, killed or ate babies. However, Gautama Buddha converted them to protectors of children and fertility. It shows the complexity and layered cult of motherhood, where an entity so powerful to devour life may also be transformed into a symbol of protection,” Andrea describes.

The Italian sculptures comprise a group of ancient Etruscan images of Mater Matuta — Mother of the Dawn. She is a celebrated votive figure in ancient Capua, Southern Italy, symbolising renewal and regeneration through light and agriculture. The iconography of Mater Matuta evolves from an early Etruscan goddess to a Roman cult of the Matres with Rome’s territorial expansion, to an absorption of the Egyptian cult of Isis. “This creates a far more emotionally charged portrait to the static and cold imagery of Mater Matuta — adding affectionate nuances to motherhood. This ultimately transitions into early Byzantine Christian iconography of Virgin Mary and Jesus, parallely existing with regional goddesses in the Rhineland and Gaul,” avers Andrea. Kourotrophos is another Greek mythological deity with a frontal dimension. “They are always meant to be kept at small corners of homes where idol worship occurs. They are frontal — you don’t walk around them, you only see them from the front,” elucidates Andrea.

The exhibition chronicles a constant alteration of iconographies, while retaining the fundamental quality to nurture, strengthen and protect. Plurality and differences flourish within these shared visual and symbolic frameworks. They differ in diversity and the dramatic imagery of the feminine figures that shapeshift the meaning of motherhood. “In western iconography, we don’t have the variety seen in Indian feminine figures, like a Vrishabha Yogini from Madhya Pradesh with a wild boar’s head, breastfeeding a small Ganesha,” Andrea tells us.

The exhibition challenges motherhood as the only parameter granting agency to women. Audiences may ponder about viewing the power of women beyond socially constructed gender roles. “Visitors should the embrace artistic beauty and become aware of the deep-rooted evolution of divine feminine traditions, where motherhood is multi-faceted — a protection, confrontational, gentle and universal energy,” concludes Andrea.

Entry free. On till September 20, 10 am onwards. At Vasant Nagar.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.