Thousands of pilgrims annually flock to the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, Assam, for the Ambubachi Mela, a celebration of the yearly menstrual cycle of the presiding deity, Devi Kamakhya. The four-day festival sees the worship of a Âyoni-like stone that represents 바카라Mother Shakti바카라, known popularly in this form as the 바카라menstruating goddess바카라. And yet, when Mumbai-based artist Aniket Mitra shared his artwork on social media depicting a sanitary napkin with a red, bleeding lotus on it, surrounded by a chalchitra바카라an artistic rendition that traditionally backgrounds Durga in certain representations바카라he was abused and threatened, and the piece was taken down.
It seems that our patience and tolerance for menstruation is selective and temperamental. Despite the growing dialogue on the topic, in many sections of Âsociety talking about periods still makes people turn a shade of red that could very well match Mitra바카라s bleeding red lotus. In India especially, there바카라s been an overpowering silence around this natural female process, cloaked in shame and a lack of awareness. On the other hand, like Mitra, a Âgrowing number of artists and activists across the country are turning to various forms of artistic Âexpression to create discourse on the normalisation of menstruation. Â
It바카라s not surprising that people have turned to art바카라when words and debates turn into screaming matches of who can be the loudest, art serves as a powerful tool to make people introspect, spark conversations and broaden mindsets on stigmatised subjects. With a growing arsÂenal of mediums like painting, zines, installations, photography and digital art, more and more people have found solace for their frustration as well as power in this form to create an impact. 20-year-old Priyanka Paul is no stranger to using her artÂistic talents to fight the good fight. Paul, better known by her digital moniker 바카라Artwhoring바카라, doesn바카라t shy away from using her platform to call out society on its misgivings and regressive beliefs, be it in the space of race, caste, gender, sexuality or, in this case, menstruation.
From a menstruation zine to a satirical horror-thriller film poster titled The Bleeding, Paul doesn바카라t hold back when it comes to calling out the hypoÂcrisy of Indian society and the media for their perpetuation of the stigma. One particular photograph is a top shot of a stark white toilet splattered with blue ink. 바카라Dear Pad Ads, I바카라ll bleed like you want me to. In blue,바카라 she writes about the image on her Instagram page, alluding to the blue and green liquids that depict menstrual blood in advÂertÂisements and campaigns.
Art by Aniket Mitra (right); Menstrual blood art by Lyla FreeChild
Graphic designer Bansri Thakkar too addresses the role of the media in her zine Silence of the Cramp, breaking up her project to address three important aspects when it comes to the dismantling of the menstrual taboo바카라taught silence, hiding, media and silence. A graduate of the Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Thakkar elucidates on the subject in each section of her project through stories, anecdotes and experiences of people of all ages and genders.
Both Paul and Thakkar have contributed to the work done by social enterprise Boondh. Thakkar was a part of 바카라The Crimson Wave바카라, a first-of-its-kind travelling art exhibition showcasing works in various mediums that address menstruation, and some even done with menstrual blood. Menstrual blood has become a pigment in many global artists and activists바카라 palettes, including Carina Ăbeda Chacana, Zoe James and Lani Beloso. Be it as a way to protest, normalise menstruation, or shock people into dialogue, Menstrala, a term coined by artist Vanessa Tiegs to be the title of her own series of works, is slowly growing into a movement of its own.
In India, it is perhaps only Jaipur-based artist Lyla FreeChild who has used menstrual blood in her paintings. It started in 2014 when she made the switch to using menstrual cups and continued to work with Boondh, creating a larger cup-shaped art installation out of menstrual cups at Prayag, the first 바카라Grand Digital India Mela바카라 that was hosted in New Delhi. She also fashioned them into earrings for herself, using her work to draw attention to the increasing amount of waste that disposable Âsanitary products create, and the impact this has on the ecosystem.
Equated with other 바카라waste and discarded materials바카라 of the human body, the use of menstrual blood in art throws people off but for many women, it바카라s about breaking the stigma and connecting with their own bodies. In a country where young girls drop out of school when they start menstruating, shopkeepers wrap up sanitary pads in brown paper bags faster than you can pull out the money to pay for it, and where the majority of the female population doesn바카라t have access to low-cost sanitary napkins, falling prey to deadly diseases and infection바카라what role does such artwork play? These artists are among a growing number who aren바카라t in it just for the shaming of people with preconceived notions about menstruation. More than mere lip service, they are working Âtowards normalisation, and calling for others to own up and work towards the same.
However, it바카라s debatable whether the blood and sweat of artists putting hours into creating 바카라menstruation art바카라, and then days trying to ensure its survival in the real world, is creating effective, practical impact. Are we just progressive people discussing progress with our progressive friends?
On the one hand, there are still 바카라well-to-do and educated바카라 households where a girl바카라s menstruation is hushed up and myths of touching pickles and impurity survive. Sexist jokes about PMS and hormonal women make up a chunk of many comedy routines and conversations amongst the country바카라s youth. But at the same time, we바카라ve witnessed some uneÂxpected and hard-earned victories, from growing online conversations and awareness initiatives to on-the-ground achievements like the removal of GST on sanitary products. The Supreme Court바카라s rejection of the restrictions on menstruating women entering SabariÂmala temple in Kerala came as a breath of fresh air for a country that seems to be moving backwards in many ways.
Maybe change is happening at its own pace, but it is when the work of artists, activists and orgÂanisations seep through the intersections of society that we will truly break the stigma.
(The writer is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist who writes on art and related topics)
