Aneri Shah
Threads of Liberation: Navigating Patriarchy through the Saree
My textiles present contrasting and paradoxical narratives of female identity as it is shaped by gender perceptions in a patriarchal society. Delving into mythology and drawing on stories from Indian epics, I unravel the male gaze through the metaphor of the saree, a societally glorified symbol of femininity. In my pleated and printed textiles, I focus on the exceptional women who challenged the gender roles imposed by the patriarchy, as depicted in Bollywood cinema from the 1930s to the 1980s. I explore the way this representation of the feminine shocked society and exploded the narrow perception of women’s place in a society dominated by patriarchal distortion. My work engages in critical dialogue, asserting women’s agency in their self-expression, gender representation, and empowerment.
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