Chitra Ganesh’s “Amnesia” is based on the popular Indian Amar Chitra Katha comic book series, which serves as a cultural primer for “people who don’t fit into the dominate North Indian model of ide
Chitra Ganesh’s “Amnesia” is based on the popular Indian Amar Chitra Katha comic book series, which serves as a cultural primer for “people who don’t fit into the dominate North Indian model of identity.” Using a computer a Photoshop, Chitra combined characters and backgrounds from these comic books to veer away from their traditional purpose as an education tool and reinvent them with a decidedly feminist bent.
Artist’s Statement: “The imagery [of Amar Chitra Katha comics] was so interesting because it’s so much about the women being pure or noble or maternal or supportive of their husbands, or qiuet or passive. All of these conventional models of femininity but then, at the same time, they dress like I Dream of Jennie, very Barbie and with tits and ass. I wanted to use some of the existing imagery to insert a different perspective into how these myths are told. I wanted to go beyond the suggestive “dont’ ask, don’t tell” quality of Indian culture.”
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Velvetpark Magazine, Issue 5 (Anniversary Issue 2003), 8-11.
