Dhea Kothari

Artist Bio:

Dhea Kothari’s art honors her Indian culture while also creating a space for the political examination of gender across generations. Kothari double-majored in studio arts and psychology. During her time at Union, she enjoyed exploring mediums like oil painting and sculpture. An aspiring clinical psychologist and artist, Kothari is from Mumbai, India. Following graduation, she hopes to complete a PhD in clinical psychology and obtain an MFA in visual arts.

Artist Statement:

My work addresses concepts of gender and forms a critical view of the surrounding

social, political and cultural issues. My Sitayana:‘Sewing’ Seeds of Empowerment stands as a symbol of the generational transformation of love and what it means to be a woman in a marriage. Using historical stories from my family and my own personal reflections as a source, I created an installation that reflects my own patriarchal family history transforming into a new wave of open-mindedness.

The narrative was inspired by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel, ‘Forest of Enchantments,’ in which she rewrote the popular Indian epic of the ‘Ramayana’ through the female protagonist’s (Sita’s) perspective. The Ramayana revolves around the story of Prince Rama’s quest to rescue his wife Sita from the perils of the villain Raavana. The original story encapsulates the undertones of the patriarchal culture in India. However, it is written with a male gaze that understates the women’s voices. In Divakaruni's version, Sita’s hardships and compromises as a wife and mother are shared. I also interviewed members of my family and I realized that their marital relationships do not make me wishful for marriage. This is probably due to the stereotypical gender roles of women lacking agency in most partnerships. Women aren’t encouraged to have careers or taught about finances. Instead, they are encouraged to sacrifice their life for their husband and children. Gender roles are slowly equalizing in India but many people still believe that challenging stereotypical gender roles in India is untraditional and disrespectful. Tradition and culture are very important to our identity. However, there is a need for them to change and evolve with future generations so that they are purposeful and not a barrier for women’s growth in society. The recent generations of women are breaking these notions and gender roles are beginning to change. My work documents this transformation and metamorphoses.

The project is an exploration of installation that involved steel welding, plaster modeling, woodshop tools, textile work, and installation. My installation involves a model, meant to be my own reflection, sitting at a traditional foot-pedal sewing machine sewing on my grandmother’s saree. The saree stands as a symbol for the ancestral history of the women in my family as it is passed down across generations. The saree glides off the table and extends towards the ceiling; as if flying in the air. Almost as if the saree has taken on magical properties due to the quote that is ‘sewed’ onto it. The saree is inscribed with one of Sita’s golden statements, as written by Divakaruni, “I bless my daughters who are yet unborn, I pray that if life tests them, they will think carefully and understand when they need to compromise and when they must not.” These words have stuck with me and I want the future generation of women in my family to be free of these burdens.