Of Woman Born

Nalini Malani’s constellations of hard-hitting images cut across cultures, mythologies, and histories. In this newly commissioned artwork by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, Malani extends her Animation Chambers series, a form she developed since 2017, where multiple iPad animations come together to create an all-encompassing experience. These animations archive the microclimates that occupy the artist’s mind and are externalised into the world as visual notes for reflection. They are thought chambers that create a sensorial explosion with a dynamic relay/ play of projections, sound, scale, and surface.
Of Woman Born offers a contemporary reflection on the ancient mythical figure of Orestes, who killed his mother in retaliation for the death of his father. Despite being pursued by the Erinyes, the Greek goddesses of justice and revenge, Orestes was later pardoned by the Goddess Athena with no retribution for his actions. For Malani, the contemporary world is unfolding much like the story of Orestes, where wars are led in the name of self-defence with no accountability for individuals who perpetrate the violence. She asks us to have a relook at the geopolitical demarcations of the world and locate the agency of women who bear the brunt of the global conflict.

The making of this work was like a cellular growth of ideas and forms, that took on a new life in the process. The catalyst is almost always a profound sense of anger or distress regarding contemporary events—things that make me want to clench my fists, grit my teeth, and shout.

PRODUCTION:
Kiran Nadar Museum of Art - Kiran Nadar Museum of Art,
145, DLF South Court Mall, Saket
110017 New Delhi, India
Tel: +91 49160000
E-mail: srinivasaditya.mopidevi@knma.org
Social Media: @knmaindia - Instagram

PRESS OFFICE:
Amrita Kapoor - Kiran Nadar Museum of Art
Tel: +91 9818058964