KIRTIKA KAIN

Kain’s materials are chosen for their association with temple rituals and links with Dalit labour. Tar, cotton thread and bangles clog together with ritual pigment and congeal on bases of salvaged silk screens. Gold leaf sheds from these sculptural paintings as if the work is in a process of transmutation, signalling to an eternal cycle of renewal. In part reflecting the irrevocable inheritance of caste, subtle aggression courses through the dense accumulations of matter.

Frustration stings the work’s alchemical beauty as Kain grapples with the contemporary potency of the caste system. She makes titular connections with the original Hindu male law-giver, Manu, who carved up and stratified Indian society. The Lunar Line is a sobriquet for his daughter and this pointed reference notes Kain’s interest in her own line of transmission in this social structure that prescribes worth to individuals. Kain’s works maybe heavy but they are also celebratory. Her symbolic coagulation of caste, faith and the implication of her physicality are, for Kain, a way of securing visibility and value for Dalit creativity. In broader terms, her works aim to redefine the narrative of stigmatisation.

Press release courtesy Jhaveri Contemporary. Text: Dr. Cleo Roberts-Komireddi.