Interdisciplinary artist, curator, and writer Pritika Chowdhry is announcing the launch of her newest anti-memorial, Partition of India and the Radcliffe Line - "Cracking India: The Line that Still Bleeds," inspired by the Partition of India in 1947, and the tragic events than ensued.
Chicago,United States - December 8, 2022 /PressCable/ —
An anti-memorial project, Pritika Chowdhry’s Partition of India and the Radcliffe Line is a series of neon sculptures that depict the separation of India from Pakistan, now on exhibit at the South Asia Institute in Chicago. A single pink neon outline of the Radcliffe Line – a border arbitrarily designated by British lawyer Sir Cyril Radcliffe upon the establishment of the Indian Independence Act of 1947- is mounted against a dark background to symbolize the starkness and harshness of colonial indifference.
More information about this project is available at https://www.pritikachowdhry.com/cracking-india
The neon sculptures that are part of Chowdhry’s recently launched retrospective bring attention to the explosive aftermath triggered by the new border, called the Radcliffe Line, which partitioned British India into India, East Pakistan, and West Pakistan. In 1971, East Pakistan became the independent state of Bangladesh. Read more about the Partition of India in this informative blog post – https://www.pritikachowdhry.com/post/partition-of-india-1947-an-overview-and-faq
A socio-political feminist artist, Chowdhry seeks to bring a higher awareness of traumatic geopolitical events occurring in the 20th and 21st centuries through installation art that provokes in the observer an understanding of the pain and suffering these events caused. Her artworks are part of public and private collections.
Chowdhry chose pink to represent the imposed India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders for its stereotypical association with women, and to highlight the impact the Radcliffe Line had on Hindu, Muslim, Bengal, and Sikh women in 1947 and 1971. It is a statement inspired by Chowdhry’s core feminist beliefs and values.
The title of the project is inspired by Parsi feminist writer Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel “Cracking India,” a semi-autobiographical story narrated by a young girl witnessing the Partition of India.
A recent blog post written by Chowdhry titled “Partition of India and the dark history of the Radcliffe Line,” details the impact the imposed border had on an otherwise celebratory moment in history. India was free from British rule, but with a formalized division between India and Pakistan ratified, intense distrust between religious groups led to chaos, a massive refugee crisis as those living in minority enclaves fled across borders, and then several wars. Read the blog post at https://www.pritikachowdhry.com/post/partition-of-india-radcliffe-line
Chowdhry’s grandparents survived the Partition of India in 1947 but lost several members of their extended family to the brutal communal riots that ensued.
With the launch of the anti-memorial project, Partition of India and the Radcliffe Line – “Cracking India: The Line that Still Bleeds,” Chowdhry not only represents the pain and brutality triggered by a foreign power but also highlights the powerlessness victims of geopolitical strife are forced to bear.
For a quick overview of the Partition of India and Pakistan, read https://www.pritikachowdhry.com/post/partition-of-india-first-war-of-independence-birth-of-pakistan
Contact Info:
Name: Pritika Chowdhry
Email: Send Email
Organization: Pritika Chowdhry LLC
Address: Swami Vivekananda Way, Chicago, Illinois 60603, United States
Website: https://www.pritikachowdhry.com
Source: PressCable
Release ID: 89086211
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