Depicting mother’s body that defies commodification of femininity

One of the talented artists of her generation, Anoli Perera from Sri Lanka did B.A in Political Science, Sociology, and Economics. University of Colombo in 1984, and later completed Post Graduate Diploma in International Affairs. Bandaranaike Center for International Studies.

Among her selected solo exhibitions are ‘Quveni: The Queen of Lanka’, Hempel Gallery, Colombo (2011); ‘Comfort Zones’. Red Dot Gallery, Pita Kotte, Sri Lanka (2007); ‘Goddesses Descending’, Studio @ HW Architects, Colombo (2003); ‘In the Entangled Web’, Barefoot Gallery, Sri Lanka (2001); ‘My Narratives’, Gallery 706, Colombo, Sri Lanka (1999); ‘The Vehicle Named Woman’, Heritage Gallery. Colombo (1998).

Her acclaimed body of work, entitled ‘‘Comfort Zones’, was recently on view at Kashi Art Gallery, Kochi. According to the artist, she was fascinated by my mother’s body… She had explained: “It’s a body that refuses to tire; refuses to let go of the monumentality of its presence. It is the most ubiquitous shape of the post middle age female I find in my country: the mother’s body, a body that wears the all-encompassing dress of motherhood.

“It’s a comfort giver’s body. It is a body located beyond the usual norms of sensuality, a body made (a)sexual through the protocols of ‘motherhood’, confined now to giving unconditional love, this body of the mother defies usual commodification of femininity or fetish objectification of spiritualized beauty. It is a form too stark. “Sutured and marked with pain and pleasure through its many phases of fecundity and left alone to stand silently observing the life/lives she procreated go beyond her grasping to find their own destinies. A sense of loss overlays her presence, and that loss is not totally her own.

“It is also a loss for the comfort giver and loss for the comfort taker. Her monumental presence anchors one to a sense of belonging, and even from a distance her gaze still holds the power of scorching scrutiny. Even if this monumental form might seem passive, it certainly is not.” It tends to churn numerous memories and also instills some amount of guilt in her for all the comfort.