KOCHI: While observing the exhibition by artist Rejani S R, one might need a moment to breath. The show ‘Lub-Dub, Lub-Dub’ organised by the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi is intense and dramatic. A figure of Goddess Kali laying on the floor resembles a Kalamezhuthu. The dark goddess, with her unruly hair and blood-red tongue protruding from her mouth, is majestic despite her unconventional positioning.
Except for Kali, every other work in the room is crafted mainly in jute. The tall, large figures celebrate the beauty of the ugly and the grotesque. The society’s judgement of female forms, the agony of being subjugated by a patriarchal society, the excruciating male gaze, the way women are forced to be upholders of all traditions — all these ideas are expressed at the exhibition.
“Lub-Dub Lub-Dub is the sound of a beating heart. I wanted people to hear it while soaking in the exhibits. I want everyone to take in these visual elements and give in to the feelings they elicit. To take the viewers to the extremities of their imagination,” says Rejani, who won the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi’s grant for her solo show.
Women and their bodies with flaws and all are open to scrutiny in her installations. Breasts, often unruly, and unwashed hair, the dark crevices along the curves of their bodies — all send a message about unabashed acceptance.
All her works are nameless. But the text that accompanies them reminds the viewer of the artist’s presence. “Art is not storytelling. I want everyone to take in the visual but feel and interpret it as per their imagination,” she adds.
The shamanic exorcist rituals are part of one of her works, like nailing an unruly soul into a tree — as often seen in temples in Kerala — to control women and sometimes men. One of the masterpieces, a primitive figure full of mystery, is born out of the artist’s childhood memory.
All the works are made of jute and everyday materials like sticks, stones, ropes, beads and eerkil (midribs of coconut leaves). Apart from the world’s exclusionary development practices that marginalise a section of our society, the hypocritical brahmanical traditions which ignore the inherent suffering of women trapped in homes, the colonial and caste supremacy, all of these are called out in her works.
“These women are lying to themselves constantly. They know they are being used by the patriarchal system and are made to suffer. But they are not ready to come out of the bounds of tradition. They will always remain showpieces until they speak up,” says the artist.
It took Rejani, an alumna of R L V College Of Music And Fine Arts in Tripunithura, around one and half years to finish the series. “Once I start, I work on them for hours. But it’s impossible to finish everything in one sitting,” she explains. Each art piece is a result of an intense feeling that comes to her. “I can recollect each emotion while viewing each of my works. As a creator, it’s impossible not to,” Rejani adds.