Par Nair

oil paintings

This series of oil paintings reference the Hindu practice of applying turmeric paste to various parts of the body. The paintings tell stories about ritual, hair braiding, symmetry, pattern, and discipline. A technique of layering paints, reminiscent of pointillism is used to evoke meditative repetition. The figures appear to be wearing an armour of turmeric, an adornment of ceremony, as a way of empowerment and protection from white gaze. It is a way for the artist to honour her brown skin and her ancestral practices.