my body FRAGMENT/ED, 2023
This current body of work engages in the postcolonial discourse between India and the West, examining the relationship between ceramics and printmaking. Both mediums reproduce form and image, allowing me to analyse and expose the fragmentation of the Indian female image that is perpetuated by the omnipotent gaze. By challenging dominant perspectives on themes of gender, race, identity, and cultural appropriation, I employ image, colour, and clay as means of critical exploration.
Through a collage methodology, I combine techniques such as monoprinting and analogue transfers to pervade the ceramic surface with a distinct aesthetic quality. The tactile nature of the glazed surface alludes to the female body image ‘pulling away,’ blurring the boundaries of identity and drawing from the tacit knowledge inherent within the material itself.
My practice aims to subvert the gaze and make a powerful statement; challenge societal norms and broaden the understanding of the fragmented female form; and provoke dialogue around diverse narratives on gender, identity, and re-presentation.