Abstract
In Kerala, an Indian State in the extreme south of India, women had been subjects of artistic imagination , as elsewhere from times immemorial. But the documentation of the active role of women participating as meaning makers in visual history and cultures happened only in the 1970s and 1980s. The role of women visual artists was marginal during the 80s and remained so for 40 years, until the Pandemic time that built women’s art support groups and organisations, which empowered each other creatively by bolstering their extensive journeys as women artists. These artistic communities gained visibility after 2020 with their artwork that conveyed “an undivided feminine sense of nature, culture, and history. Some of them boldly critiqued the polarised ideals of patriarchy.” The paper analyses the works of contemporary women artists of Kerala, their struggle to attain visibility and their current status, where their solidarity and struggles have created a visually empowering space amidst patriarchal values.
Presenters
Babitha JustinAssociate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Kerala, India
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
FEMINIST ART, EMPOWERED ART, SUBVERSION, PATRIARCHY, INDIAN ART
