Photographer Indu Antony’s ‘Cecilia’ed’ reimagines women’s safety in public spaces

Multi-disciplinary artist Indu Antony is back with her long-standing pet project, Cecilia’ed (an artistic intervention that reimagines gender dynamics and safety of women in public spaces), which is now on display at It’s Time. To See. To Be Seen.

Interestingly, the project features the octogenarian Cecilia, who has become a celebrity herself after her association with Indu. “Cecilia and I have been friends for quite some time. When I was thinking about a project focused on women’s safety in public spaces, I had this idea — most campaigns feature a celebrity as the face to drive the cause. I thought, why not Cecilia? So, I asked her, and she agreed. And that’s how she became the mascot of the project. The pictures you see in the Chennai expo are the result of our ongoing collaboration over the last 10 years. Whenever we needed her to dress up, she would, as she loves collecting different kinds of clothes, and I would take the photos. It’s been a kind of ongoing tradition between us, and it felt natural to incorporate these images into the project.”

She adds, “I think the key idea behind these images was to explore the concept of celebrity culture, which is why all the photos were taken in her house. The focus wasn’t just on public spaces but on how celebrities are represented. For instance, if Deepika Padukone were to speak about mental health, we wouldn’t necessarily take a photo of her in a mental health institution. Similarly, we wanted to present Cecilia in a way that reflected her personal space — her house — as the context. We would take Cecilia in a car to places considered unsafe for women. At these locations, we would set up a performance involving a table where we’d discuss issues like safety and related topics.”

Talking about how the project has evolved over the years, Indu says, “One of the most rewarding outcomes has been how it’s impacted Cecilia’s life. Before the project, people were trying to force her out of her house, as she’s a single woman in her 80s living in the city. But after the project, she gained a sort of ‘immunity,’ and people now treat her with more respect.”

Entry free. On till March 16. At Lalit Kala Akademi.

Email: sangeetha.p@newindianexpress.com

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