Nirbhaya, an exhibition of acrylic along with pen and ink works, is N Swarnalatha’s response to the December rape and various other atrocities committed against Indian women and little girls. The Chennai-based artist spoke to SM Verghis
Her husband is a lawyer with the Supreme Court. last December N Swarnalatha, a self-taught artist who owns a gallery in Chennai which she uses as space to show her own work, was in Delhi holidaying with her son. They have a home in Feroze Shah Road, and Swarnalatha frequently passed by India Gate where she saw “women and children protesting over the Nirbhaya incident.”
Swarnalatha often does charity for those who require money for various purposes like their children’s education. She remarked, “I was deeply affected by what I saw. And other things hurt. like the stories about little girls being raped. It wasn’t only happening in Delhi but in Chennai too. Such incidents weren’t being reported often. However, I started to pay attention. And more came up. like the Vinodhini case, where the girl was attacked by a man who felt spurned. He threw acid on her face.” She shared, “Things happen in our own neighbourhood but families keep things under wraps because it could affect a girl’s future.”
Swarnalatha has no daughters of her own, only a boy, who is just ten. She said he’s been observing his mother’s responses to the atrocities, through her paintings. The images are concerned with problems women face on various fronts. And while the artist acknowledges that to some extent, women’s tendency to not own their space is one reason for problems, it is no excuse for disrespecting someone of the opposite sex. “It’s not good when we hear of young children being attacked. And when you go to the police station, sometimes the officials don’t put their foot down effectively when they are told about a crime. Instead they ask insulting questions to the victim.”
Swarnalatha added, “Men have to change their responses. And parents have a responsibility in this regard. I am trying to train my own son too.”
Although violence against women cuts across barriers, her experience of this has been through working with poorer sections. like maids for instance. “I’ve helped a lot of women who have had problems with alcoholic husbands. Some are battered wives. Some want money because they don’t have enough to pay for food on the table or their children’s fees. In such cases it’s lack of education and what one is exposed to that creates violent tendencies. For instance, in a small slum dwelling, the entire family sleeps together in a room. Naturally the children see what their parents do in bed and probably think of doing something similar later.”
Her images have distorted, broken, bodies. One is the face of an acid victim. Others feature women crucified by their experience of living itself. One woman is portrayed hanging upside down, another is flayed sideways.
Some are shown as marionettes on strings being manipulated.
A mother’s nose ring is picturised as thorn, as she enfolds her daughters — this was made recently after the rape of little girls. There are images of torment and a woman viewing her own reflection in an image, concerned by beauty which Swarnalatha rightly said, “is something every woman has. Because they are all beautiful inside.”
A shamed Gandhi is shown along with clay figurines of a family in pain. Though most of the images are not the least empowering (her husband, a jolly figure, promised, “next time we do something about that!”), they are truthful about the many odds women face. And while you can argue that, the fact remains that, in the family situation and outside, if woman is unhappy so will be society. Which is not to disregard the equally important role of males.
The show is on at the Open Palm Court, Habitat Centre.