By: Lucy Kenyon.
Currently MARS Gallery is showing beautiful new works from Indian artist Devi Seetharam as part of the ‘June’ group show, which I thought may interest you.
Please find Devi’s artist statement below.
DEVI SEETHARAM
The purpose of this series is to visually narrate the tales of another culture, the historical context and current realities. As we move forward with equality, I draw from my own cultural heritage and its need to recognise the void in this aspect.
In a part of the world (Kerala, India) that claims to be matriarchal but is only matrilineal in social customs, the patriarchy is deeply entrenched. Men wield the authority to occupy public space wrapped in their traditional white loin cloth, a symbol of their purity, that legitimises their self-granted sense of status and morality. Women in their world are reduced to symbolic gures of beauty and desire. Objects that can be undermined with impunity.
I’ve depicted the men with dark Dravidian skin, tackling their valued beauty standard. The ground is littered with different culturally tied details expressing the passing of time as their dominance weighs on their communities.
‘Brothers, Fathers and Uncles’ illustrates a world where the postures and the remnants at the feet speak louder than the unseen and unheard conversations beyond the frames.
Devi Seetharam is an Indian artist, based in Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Bachelors in Fine Arts- Painting from LASALLE College of the Arts, Singapore 2011.
Before moving to Australia in 2016; Devi grew up living in China, Cambodia, South Africa, India, Switzerland, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, Mauritius and the United Arab Emirates. The opportunity of living in several different countries has moulded her outlook and therefore informs her work. Devi primarily works with oil or acrylic paints on canvas using gurative visuals to portray social issues in the settings she inhabits.
