Sitting in her Nighty (2012)

Joan Marie Kelly

Description Similar to the paining, Labour Without a Thought for Money, this painting is the outcome of social art events in Kolkata and Varanasi India, threading together a contemporary view of adaptations of the historical archetype of femininity, the courtesan  “Kotha” with the historical archetype of masculinity, Pahalwan (wrestler) and the culture of the Akhara (outdoor gymnasium). The sex workers are viewed as the cultural descendants of the “courtesan,” the archetype of femininity and the wrestlers the cultural descendants of the manifestations of power that once stood next to the Mogul Kings. The portrait is of Durga a sex-worker living in Kolkata who posed in her nighty. “Labor without a Thought for Money” is of the context of the Akhara where the wrestlers practice everyday by the Ganges where the puja’s are made. Medium Piezographic print on Forex, plywood Dimensions 160 x 200 cm (2 pieces) and 200 x 160 cm (2 pieces)