FROM MY MOTHER examines the passing on of knowledge through the maternal line, together with celebrating the female body and their unpaid, unseen, and undervalued labour in the context of Indian culture. Through the framework of contemporary feminism, it seeks to explore the often fraught cultural, social, and familial divide between India and my current location in Australia, using performance, installation, and sound to convey the connection and the distance relationship between my mother, my culture and myself.
My project involves collaboration with my mother, where she helps me in creating new artworks. I use her recorded voice to convey the intimacy between her and I, and to create her loving presence through performance art. Focusing on Indian culture and teachings from my mother, I create a visual language of the often unrevealed domestic labour of women in India – being trapped in the house while being a good housewife and a good mother who fulfils the needs of the family and to continue the same routine over and over again.
I aim to question the role of women, being trapped in a maze of responsibilities and cultural norms, which is often overloaded by patriarchal dominance. As an Indian woman I would like to appreciate the endless efforts of Indian women towards their home and family.
instagram: @geena_pereira
