Thursday, September 19, 2024

Mithila Women Paint Gender-Based Violence in the 21st Century
Syracuse University Art Museum

Syracuse University Art Museum, Shaffer Art Building
Syracuse University, Syracuse

For centuries, Mithila painters who work in Northeastern India have made paintings of gods and auspicious symbols on the walls and floors of their homes. This exhibition investigates a recent development within this long tradition of Indian folk art, where, beginning in the mid-2000s, artists began making paintings drawn from their own lived experiences. These women painters depicted the violence enacted against them, including dowry deaths, female feticide, and male kin's control generally. In doing so, this exhibition will draw attention to the patriarchal structures of this rural Indian community and broader structures of gender-based violence worldwide.