Kuthu Vizhakkukal

This exhibition by Kirupa Sargunaraja explores the assigned roles of girls and women, by merging their bodies with that of a domestic object, the Kuthu Vizhakku. These oil lamps are utilized primarily on auspicious occasions of worship or celebration as a way of bringing prosperity to the place it is lit within. By merging the school and home, the human body and a domestic object, Kirupa wanted to point out how girls are encouraged to feel purposeful only within domestic environments. Even within their own homes they are then seen as dutiful objects.

Kirupa uses certain phrases of children's rhymes that are suggestive to also narrate the sexualization of children. There are markings on the body that suggest groping, pinching, pulling and clawing. Kirupa invites the viewer into the domain of these girls to play with their bodies but also to be aware of their own bodies within the space. This awareness is created through the Kolams drawn on the floor. Kolams are traditional South Indian designs drawn at the entrance of a house to welcome people in and bring the house good luck. While it is okay for people to step on these designs that are only meant to last a day, this concept would be foreign to a non- South Indian audience. Thereby placing them in uncomfortable positions.