Video Transcript: SU art exhibition showcases Mithila women’s fight against gender violence
Arwen Parmelee: Within Syracuse University’s Shaffer Art Building, one of the largest collections of Mithila paintings outside India tells a story of resistance and change. These detailed works carry centuries of unheard voices. What began as a sacred art has become a catalyst for change…
Melissa Yuen: This exhibition really focuses on mythical women and their lived experiences, the effects of marriage on their daily lives, or the effects of government policy on their daily lives. As a woman myself, I marvel at how these women are able to find beauty in some very traumatic events.
Parmelee: The urgency of their message goes beyond these museum walls. In India, more than 31% of married women face domestic violence– a number that’s risen since 2015. For centuries, Mithila women painted sacred symbols and wedding scenes. But today, they paint their truth.
Parmelee: In the 1960s, famine struck their region, causing these women to begin painting on paper to survive. They use that same paper today to help others survive – by sharing stories many are afraid to tell.
Parmelee: I’m standing in front of two paintings honoring activist and painter Gunjeshwari Kumari. Through passed down Mithila tradition, the art speaks to experiences shared by women across cultures – turning ancient artistry into a powerful voice against injustice.
Yuen: This is a painting by Shalinee Kumari titled Shakuntala… When the pandemic broke out, the Indian prime minister instituted a transportation shutdown… We see her depicted four times – walking with her pregnant belly, giving birth on the roadside, and continuing with her newborn baby towards their hometown.
Parmelee: From their small region in India to this gallery in Syracuse, eight women artists transform their pain into power, using their ancestral art form to challenge the silence surrounding gender violence. These paintings carry messages that don’t need translation – stories of survival, strength, and resilience.
Parmelee: Through Dec. 10, these walls hold space for stories that deserve to be told.
Parmelee: At Syracuse University, Arwen Parmelee, NCC News.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — Syracuse University’s Art Museum is currently hosting an art exhibition featuring paintings that depicting the lived experiences of women in India. Titled “Mithila Women Paint Gender-Based Violence in the 21st Century” the art shown in this gallery is a testament to one of India’s most significant social issues.
According to The National Library of Medicine, nearly 30% of Indian women have experienced domestic abuse during their lifetime.
“These artists are documenting their lived experiences, from the effects of marriage to the impact of government policies on their daily lives,” said Melissa Yuen, curator at SU Art Museum. “They find ways to create beauty even while depicting deeply traumatic events.”
The art form’s journey from homes to galleries began during India’s 1960s famine, when women started painting on paper for income. Now, they are using this practice to cerate a voice for themselves.
One of the exhibition’s most powerful pieces is “Shakuntala” by Shalinee Kumari, which details a pregnant woman’s journey during India’s COVID-19 lockdown. The painting shows Shakuntala giving birth on a roadside while attempting to reach her hometown after transportation services were suspended.
“We see her entire journey unfold, from walking with her pregnant belly to continuing onward with her newborn,” Yuen said.
The exhibition features paintings from eight contemporary artists whose powerful work provides a non-verbal platform for messages that often go unheard. While their paintings emerge from specific experiences in rural India, their themes of survival and resistance resonate with women all around the world.
Viewers can experience this incredible work of art activism at the SU Art Museum through Dec. 10.