Wings

PaperThe present body of works reflects upon Siji’s reminiscences as an infant child, a soft, supple doll, a daughter, and the transformation from this infantile stage into an adolescent girl, and then a youthful young woman. This   metamorphosis is distinctly shown through five iconic works titled Portraits, each representing the under-developed body, enmeshed within soft, buoyant natural objects such as a feather, a weaver-bird nest, a flower, a seed pod and a dry leaf. These evanescent abodes encase the body like a cocoon of sorts, helping in the slow mutation. The intrinsic potential of the body to writhe and wriggle out in these works, is contrasted sharply in another portrayal, that of submission and immersion into the natural order. Shakespeare’s Ophelia is visited through Millais’ representation to weave grief and mourning of the lost father.