Acts of rebellion and exorcism, her paintings are striking in the contrast between the dramatic intensity of her subjects and the nuanced way that she renders them.

Face-off (after Kuniyoshi) is a series of works in watercolour and charcoal on paper. Anju Dodiya pays mock heroic homage to the creative work of the painter as martial arts practitioner. She depicts the artist as a samurai, dedicated to painting, who confronts her own demons and has to kill or be killed as part of the ritual of the studio.

Anju Dodiya has drawn inspiration from Japanese woodblock print master Utagawa Kuniyoshi and his famous Faithful Samurai of 1847-1848. “The elegant line, pale colours combined with the explosive sex and violence, have made inroads into my own work” says the artist. With traces of watercolour washing against clouds of charcoal, recreating a storm in the studio, the artist choreographs the battle of creation. Ironically, within this showdown the passage of time causes the artist to disappear and only the work remains.