Not Just One Afternoon

Kunatharaju Mrudula

My most recent body of work began taking shape when the nationwide lockdown was announced in March 2020. Since then, I have been thinking about home being a limitation of opportunities for women in India, both from a personal perspective as well as social. It all started with intimate phone conversations with my mother during the lockdown. I was living in a city that is far away from her, and at this time she shared with me her darkest fears, deepest pains, and disappointments in her life. Through these conversations, I realized that I never knew my mother completely and how little time I gave her as a female and as a daughter. I want our conversations to be thought-provoking.

These drawings are developed from my own sketches of my mother napping in the afternoon after finishing her household chores and I was trying to capture time while the world spins on its axis.

It is intended to understand that the wall and form of a house have connotations, that they have power over us and cause us to build up limitations. I was trying to develop a dialogue around restrictive standards that apply and question the gender roles. It also deals with a viewpoint on how different, diverse, and dynamic the idea of the house/ walls can be.