The Thaipusam festival is supposed to be a time of celebration for the Tamil Hindu community. But at the event in Malaysia in 2017, the women who attended were met with a threat. “We were told that if we wore our traditional attire with too much skin showing, a particular group of men would come and attack us with spray paint,” Rupa Subramaniam recalls. As an Indian woman living in the country, she realised that if people could be so audacious, then she could be just as bold in her retaliation. Mere words could be dismissed as complaints, and discussions would fade over time. So Rupa set out to fight back with something immortal – art.
Protesting the policing of women’s bodies, Rupa painted women’s bare skin in the photo series ‘This Body is Mine’. Incorporating imagery of Hindu goddesses, it was an expression of autonomy. “My goal is to spark conversations about the way we perceive and treat women’s bodies,” Rupa says. As her work sent waves throughout her community, women began contacting Rupa privately to share their stories. To reveal how they were united in their struggles, Rupa decided to take her art to the next level.
For 30 days, she dedicated her residency in the Rimbun Dahan arts centre to capturing the nuances of being a woman. Every day, Rupa interviewed one Malaysian woman about her experiences with gender. She then painted their skin with images and words that reflected the individual’s experience. Recording their conversations on film, Rupa turned the project into the web documentary Antidote.
“We need to learn to respect that people’s bodies are their own business before we are told how other people should look at us,” Rupa says. Attempts to control women’s bodies is a global issue, but Rupa is celebrating the agency of women in Malaysia. In the battle of body politics, her work is a declaration of strength.
Footage by Rupa Subramaniam in collaboration with Thinakkaaran Thamilchelvam and Mathubalan Gunasogaran was used in the creation of this film.
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