The heart is an eye, says one of Percy’s artworks in ink on paper. If you take a look at the sketch, you will see eyes drawn on a heart, shedding tears in despair. The hands beneath the heart clutch onto each other, as if it gets conflicting to let go.
Percy remembers what her father has always told her: Do not to try too hard to be unique. A thought that didn’t quite sit well with her earlier, as artists always wanted to stand out and be an exception, she later on realised that what he said was in fact, true. Her exhibition, Lady Parts which comprises her sketches, collages and installations, explores her childhood and her complicated relationship with womanhood and femininity. “I stand at 4’11”, have dark skin, am anaemic with a flat chest, and often dress modestly, identifying as Dalit,” Percy tells us.
As someone who was brought up in a ‘fairly privileged’ household as she calls it, not any form of an elaborate lifestyle made her ever feel truly comfortable. “Even if my parents wanted to ensure that I never face caste discrimination, I happened to grow up with it,” she tells us. Percy says that her parents belong to a ‘difficult’ caste background. For one, her mother witnessed the 1991 Tsundur massacre. The attacks on Dalits in Tsundur were to make them comply with their status as ‘untouchables.’ Ever since her mother told her the story, every emotion became an image for Percy. “Almost every little thing could be metaphorical, summing up to art,” she adds. Also, her father moved to the cities to escape poverty.
Lady Parts might also delve into Percy’s early years. Faiza Hasan, curatorial advisor of the show tells us, “I had the absolute joy of getting to know Percy and her work in the process of putting together this show with her and Nooriya Vahanvaty of the Goethe Zentrum, Hyderabad team. The three of us worked to g ether to bring emphasis on the fragilities and nuances in Percy’s work within the exhibition space.”
She further adds, “The exhibition gently draws out the themes of marginalisation and gendered experiences — through drawings, collages and sculpture — that are both, built with layers of plaster as well as laboriously stitched. The eyes behold, seek and bear witness. Hands hold, create and share. The braid bears the brunt of patriarchy and reclaims femininity as it traverses across the exhibition floor. And throughout is a palpable resilience that endures. We were also excited and grateful that Srinidhi Nidadavolu, a social science researcher and a dear friend of the artist, was able to adorn the exhibition with a piece of writing that encapsulates its essence.”
After graduating in architecture, Percy faced her parents’ fears that art schools were exclusive and prone to discrimination. However, her heart belonged to sketchbooks, now amassing a collection of 30, filled with ink-on-paper creations. “I don’t draw to fit into the world. I love drawing what I feel. It helps me make sense of things,” she concludes.
Free entry. Till April 13, 3 pm to 6 pm. At Goethe-Zentrum, Banjara Hills. chokita@newindianexpress.com @PaulChokita