The Goddess, The Man and The Child

The Goddess, the Man and The Prostitute

$8000

Dimensions: 121 × 91cm (47x35")

Medium: Acrylic on cotton canvas

This work presents an allegory of devotion in the context of the Devadasi system in India.

A ritual historically framed as sacred service to a deity that gradually evolved into a system of sexual exploitation. Though legally banned in several Indian states, the practice has not entirely disappeared.

The central figure is a bride dressed in traditional Indian red. She is presented as a woman, but she is still a child.

A plush toy rests in her arms. It disrupts the image of marriage and recalls what is being concealed: this bride has not reached adulthood.

The ceremony binds her to the goddess Mariamman. In theory, she becomes a servant of the divine. In practice, she becomes a body that can be claimed.

At the centre of the composition, an indistinct shadow emerges. It is the man who benefits from the arrangement. He is the father who escapes the burden of dowry. He is the uncle who initiates her first sexual encounter. He is every man who will later pay for her services.

The shadow has no face because it is not a single individual. It is a structure. Divinity becomes the language through which exploitation is justified. What is presented as devotion becomes a system of sexual access.

The title The Goddess, the Man and The Prostitute exposes the transformation imposed on the girl. A sacred marriage becomes the beginning of forced prostitution.

Material and FormThe surface uses a restrained palette of dusty reds, warm earth tones, muted browns and faded creams. The overall finish is matte, textured, and deliberately subdued.

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