Matrimonials #2

Inspired by the Indian Queen Draupaidi, artist Sukanya Rahman has created a mixed-media installation that features colorful images of Indian women juxtaposed with female American icons, as well as photographs of the artist’s family. Queen Draupaidi is the central character of the epic Mahabharata in which she is gambled away by her five husbands when they run out of money. Rahman uses this image as a universal metaphor for the predicament of modern day Indian women. She also references the plight of Sita, the idyllic figure of Indian womanhood, who was forced to burn herself to prove her fidelity to her husband. The ghastly tradition of brides being burned for not delivering their dowry still continues in India today. Despite this atrocity, a sense of hope is conveyed through images of successful Indian women such as goddesses, prime ministers, and astronauts.

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