Nalini Malani
During the past twenty years Malani has produced a defining series of multisensorial experiences that incorporate a signature theatrical aesthetic alongside a macabre subtext and a cast of mythical characters as a way of responding to negotiating with and partially memoralizing these shocking sociopolitical events.Her installation " Unity in Diversity" perfectly encapsulates so much of what Malani's practice and approach involve:sinister, fantastical imagery, theatrical staging, philosophical notions, references to violent, controversial, contemporary moments and most significantly poignantly emblematic female protagonists.Through 1970s and 1980s, Malani's ethereal ,emblematic paintings and drawings exemplified her investigations into philosophy and literature and mythology.Well known Hindu mythological characters and quirky Western literary figures from Sita in the Ramayana and Radha in the Mahabharata to Alice in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland would continue to provide an extensive lexicon for Malini to cross reference to combine recreate and use as points of departure while investigating contemporary issues Living in Alicetime 2005-2006 and Splitting the Other 2007.Although she does not classify herself as a feminist ,Malani continues to address ingrained gender inequality conceptualizing fictional narratives around women while sometimes degendering her subjects and abstracting the notions of masculinity and femininity.India's society remains predominantly under a patriarchal system.Malani takes contemporary versions of myths in literature and finds innovative ways to adapt appropriate and reassemble them, building a bridge between the audience and the story.For Documenta 13 Malani created 5 rotating cylinders each with painted figures on them drawn from Malani's lexicon of surreal , peculiar lexicons of surreal peculiar specimens- eight armed goddesses ,autopsy instruments,creatures with protruding vertebrea figures in fetal positions some painted in part and some with greater detail all projected shadows that overlapped with one another.The impact of communal violence in India the rising frustrations of the poor and the imbalance of gender are clear yet measures are not taken to solve these situations.Whether addressing the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947 the Babri Masjid riots in 1992 or the Gujarat genocide in 2002,Malani asks the same questions- who is the hero?who was the victim?where was the history written ?why has it not been recorded?where has the blood gone?
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