INGENIOUSLY IMAGINATIVE
Native Women of South India - Manners and Customs by Pushpamala N and Claire Arni
(Gallery Nature Morte, New Delhi; Gallery Chemould, Mumbai; Bose Pacia, New York )
In a photo-performance that teases one’s imagination, South Indian artist, Pushpamala N and British photographer, Claire Arni – who has grown up in South India – take readers back and forth in the realm of time. Native Women of South India - Manners and Customs is a visual delight. The interesting array of ‘native types’ makes the reader take a closer look at the various images on display. In 19th century India, there were the ‘zenana’ or all women’s studios in Hyderabad and Kolkata, run by British female photographers where women in purdah would get themselves photographed.

They trigger off alternative ways of seeing an image. The pictures often take off from the originals and create a world of their own. A case in point is The Native Types – a series of photographs that illustrate the scenery and the mode of life of the women of South India. There is an inherent drama and mood created in images like Cracking The Whip, Returning from the Tank, Flirting…and Criminals. Pushpamala and Arni seem to have been inspired by myriad influences that pervade the culture and mindset of their muse – goddesses, political satire, film stills, art images and even calendar icons provide rich inspiration that is reflected in the colourful work. They have succeeded in re-creating eye-catching representations from different media.