One of the exhibits of ‘Redrawing Resistance – 2016’ at Lalit Kala Akademi, is divided into two parts.
One section is red, the other green, and both are covered with flowers, beads and sequins. But the small, red portion depicts lifeless, fading flowers. The larger, green one is full of colour, depicting hope and purpose.
The two sections, said R. Yashoda, the artist and a survivor of violence, represent her life — during her marriage and the trauma of hospital treatments, and now with a job and the motivation to survive.
“At one point no one wanted to come near because of how I looked. I couldn’t even look at myself. But art therapy helped me immensely. It gave me encouragement and showed me there were people who would talk to me and I told myself I could survive,” said Yashoda.
The Redrawing Resistance project is a collection of artworks by South Asian women survivors of violence who are using art as a medium to express themselves and communicate, said Prasanna Gettu, CEO, The International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC).
The organisation, along with the U.S. Consulate General, Chennai and in association with the department of psychology at Women’s Christian College (WCC), has curated the project.
The display in Chennai has been created primarily by students of WCC on their experiences of sexual harassment in public spaces and has a few pieces by survivors of violence too, said Swetha Shankar, coordinator at PCVC.
Another exhibit by Simran P. Shroff, a final-year student, is the two faces of a young woman. One is casual, an ‘at home’ look, while the other is about being dressed up.
“When I leave the house I have to dress and look a certain way so that people don’t approach me very easily. This exhibit represents that,” she said.
Ariel Pollock, Public Affairs Officer, U.S. Consulate General Chennai, said the issue of sexual harassment in public spaces was one that needed to be discussed every day, all year round.
“A lot of people focus on the physical aspects of sexual harassment. But the psychological trauma can have a devastating impact. Girls become afraid to go out. This has even entered virtual spaces now. This is not just an Indian issue, it’s a global issue,” she said.
The exhibition is a travelling one and will go to universities, malls, beaches and offices. At Lalit Kala Akademi, it is on display until April 17.
