On Friday 25th & Saturday 26th July, Demi Nandhra held an exhibition and performance at The Loft Birmingham. Sadly I missed the performance but I had the pleasure of coming across the installation itself and meeting her.
Her installation was titled 'How can you be so confident despite being so dark?' and is part of a larger research project entitled 'Other'; which questions the possibility of engaging with one's 'other-self', delving into ones origin with fear of difference, admiration or eroticism.
Sita is Dead was in part a death and rebirth of what is means to be powerful as an Indian woman; or any woman essentially. It takes the story of Sita as an example of femininity and uses it to question Indian feminism, representation and the cultural ownership over the Indian woman.
Her installation was titled 'How can you be so confident despite being so dark?' and is part of a larger research project entitled 'Other'; which questions the possibility of engaging with one's 'other-self', delving into ones origin with fear of difference, admiration or eroticism.
Sita is Dead was in part a death and rebirth of what is means to be powerful as an Indian woman; or any woman essentially. It takes the story of Sita as an example of femininity and uses it to question Indian feminism, representation and the cultural ownership over the Indian woman.
Demi's exhibition featured photography, film installation and performance. My favourite part were some thought-provoking quotes on the wall of political figures on the subject of rape (see image 9/caption), showing both the ignorance and disinterest in some of the most influential people in India. | I use the offerings of representation my mom gives, and the representations I find within Indian popular culture. The idealistic form of women within Indian cinema interjected with the highly romanticised home video of my parents wedding reveals the cultural expectancy and essentialism of the Indian woman both in England and in India, as well as the seeming semblance between reality and screen. |
However this part of the installation wasn't a jab at males, and a discussion between another visitor, Demi and myself highlighted this. The issue seemed not so much about how men see rape or women, but more generally how we were gendered and taught to understand the implications of our sex from infancy. We're taught girls will want to play with dolls, playing house and doing calming activities, whereas boys will play with trains or cars, tactical games and exciting activities.
We actively communicate with children differently based on their sex; we encourage girls to talk more, express themselves, socialise, work in a team and be more empathetic and mature. We encourage boys to be active, learn about things (not so much people).
We also encourage different views on what it is to be strong, powerful and attractive depending on your sex, rather than as a human being. TO break down these stereotypes we really need to tackle what we teach our young because this is where our beliefs are nurtured.
I believe Demi was trying to highlight how traditional gender roles are outdated and to change some of the problems we have with gender inequality we need to go back to the basics. We need to disregard our old models (such as Sita), let it die, and bring a new model to life.
We actively communicate with children differently based on their sex; we encourage girls to talk more, express themselves, socialise, work in a team and be more empathetic and mature. We encourage boys to be active, learn about things (not so much people).
We also encourage different views on what it is to be strong, powerful and attractive depending on your sex, rather than as a human being. TO break down these stereotypes we really need to tackle what we teach our young because this is where our beliefs are nurtured.
I believe Demi was trying to highlight how traditional gender roles are outdated and to change some of the problems we have with gender inequality we need to go back to the basics. We need to disregard our old models (such as Sita), let it die, and bring a new model to life.
Visit Demi Nandhra's website for more information on this piece and other works of hers.
How I feel this relates to mental health
On a further level, we accept anger from boys; it's only natural as they're so energetic, but with girls it's a sign of lack of control and we prefer to subdue them.
With sadness, it's fine for girls to cry; it's only natural, they're sensitive, but with boys it's a lack of control and we aim to hide that.
This leads on to a observation of mine based on mental illness. From an early age girls are encouraged to cry, when they're upset they're physically restrained (otherwise known as comforting hugging) and ushered into being quiet, calm and passive. Sadness is ok, anger can be subdued.
On the other hand, from an early age boys are encouraged to let out their emotion physically, distractions such as sports are more readily suggested and physical outbursts or violence is more condoned. Anger is ok, sadness should be subdued.
As a result, according to my observation, the display of depression amongst males and females is different. Not necessarily because of sex differences, but because of socialising differences.
Females are allowed and encouraged to show sadness, to be passive. When a female is angry, it's more common that she'll end up crying with frustration than a man. This is a safer way to communicate something is wrong that has been encouraged from early on.
Males on the other hand often show anger problems when suffering with depression, they may act out more and it may add to why males are more likely to commit suicide (action based approach to the problem rather than passive).
This art installation mirrors the concern for a long hard review of how we educate our children, how we teach them to view themselves, express themselves and ultimately what effects these teachings could have much later on.
With sadness, it's fine for girls to cry; it's only natural, they're sensitive, but with boys it's a lack of control and we aim to hide that.
This leads on to a observation of mine based on mental illness. From an early age girls are encouraged to cry, when they're upset they're physically restrained (otherwise known as comforting hugging) and ushered into being quiet, calm and passive. Sadness is ok, anger can be subdued.
On the other hand, from an early age boys are encouraged to let out their emotion physically, distractions such as sports are more readily suggested and physical outbursts or violence is more condoned. Anger is ok, sadness should be subdued.
As a result, according to my observation, the display of depression amongst males and females is different. Not necessarily because of sex differences, but because of socialising differences.
Females are allowed and encouraged to show sadness, to be passive. When a female is angry, it's more common that she'll end up crying with frustration than a man. This is a safer way to communicate something is wrong that has been encouraged from early on.
Males on the other hand often show anger problems when suffering with depression, they may act out more and it may add to why males are more likely to commit suicide (action based approach to the problem rather than passive).
This art installation mirrors the concern for a long hard review of how we educate our children, how we teach them to view themselves, express themselves and ultimately what effects these teachings could have much later on.