Dhea kothari address concepts of gender and forms a critical view of its surrounding social, political and cultural issues. Her recent work revolves around the day to day life of south-Asian women and explores the heavy burden of being a woman in this patriarchal world. My work consists of miniature narratives and still lives that aim to capture domestic scenes in South-Asia. I record the thoughts and beliefs of people in a less progressive India today and try to create parallels of a more modern India for tomorrow. I use references from Indian miniature style of painting and vintage photographs of my family. I mostly work with small panels and oil paints and work with a lot of layering of patterns. I would like to build on the subject matter that I’m currently working on by expanding to gendered paintings related to sexual culture.

 

Over the past year I’ve created two series: ‘Love Messages in Quarantine: Men in the kitchen’ and ‘The Private is Political: Taboos surrounding menstruation.’ For the ‘Private is Political’ series I worked with 6” x 8” wood panels and oil paints to depict the persisting presence of menstrual stigmas in India. In rural parts of India, women do not have access to hygienic menstrual products and use toxic materials like ash to absorb the bleeding. Even in urban cities, pharmacists wrap menstrual pads in newspaper, so as to hide the product. Families do not educate their girls. Instead, they  reinforce the conservative culture that women are impure during their periods and cannot be touched. I painted this series in Indian miniature form so as to show the finest quality of religion, culture, and tradition. Through my work I want viewers to understand that women’s personal problems  are quieted, however they are political for these private experiences are rooted in the political situation of gender inequality. Similarly, for my ‘Love Messages in Quarantine’ series I’m currently working on 8”x 11” canvas panels and 8”x 8” wood panels. This work was made during India’s response to COVID-19 through a 50 day complete lockdown of the country. While most indian houses have help, the onus of running the household lies on the woman's shoulder. During this time of quarantining and social distancing, the house help have retired and a major shift in men's involvement in household chores has occurred. From active participation in the kitchen, extending a hand in keeping the house clean, to being mindful of their partner's well-being, men have started to equalize domestic duties. While my series is a form of appreciation for the men, I also want this series to be a reminder for us to continue to pass on these kinds of love messages even after we overcome the pandemic. I want to equalize the domestic expectations in order to create social change.   

 

Using the ‘Vagina Monologues’ as a literary reference for my next series, I now want to go back to explore sexuality and gender in my art work. I’ve played a role  in the Vagina Monologues, held  by the Women's Union, for two years now. I really want to paint that experience and honor female sexuality, which isn’t always openly embraced or spoken about.