Crossing Boundaries, by Indian activist and artist Nalini Malani, is being featured at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA).
Malani’s first Canadian show addresses social inequality and violence against women, with the artist striving to promote justice through her work.
That’s one of many things that drew Chief Curator at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Mary-Dailey Desmarais to Malani’s exhibit, called, “Can You Hear Me?”
“What prompted it was Nalini’s outrage at the rape and subsequent murder of a young girl in India who was left in a temple for eight days and her voice — she’s calling, ‘Can you hear me? Can you help me?’ — went unheard,” Desmarais explained.
Malani is giving the girl a voice, through 88 hand-drawn animations she created on an iPad.
The soundtrack was composed on Garage Band, a music app.
At 77 years of age, Malani doesn’t shy away from experimenting with new media.
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She became an artist in the 1960s and is considered one of India’s pioneers in video art.
“She’s somebody who is continuously reinventing herself, testing the limits of her practice,” Desmarais said.
People are invited to lay down on bean bags and take their time to absorb and reflect on the artist’s message — and then, head out to the mural just outside the room, which was made by local artists Iuliana Irimia and Cassandra Dickie.
“It’s really a privilege and I’m really grateful for that experience,” Irimia said.
Irimia and Dickie were selected by Malani herself to execute her mural’s vision.
“City of Desires” was created live while museum visitors observed and sometimes did a little more than just look.
“Young kids who were actually short enough to walk under the barrier and did so. They come in and start playing with the charcoal,” said Dickie while sharing a laugh.
The mural will also be erased live in a flashmob-style performance directed by Malani.
“We don’t know who is doing it, how it’s being done,” Dickie said.
While that mystery remains unsolved, Malini’s final component of the exhibit is also projected on the museum’s façade.
“Ballad of a Woman” is an animation telling the story of a woman who is murdered and, in her afterlife, cleans up the traces of her death, protecting her killer.
It’s a reflection brought to life by a fascinating artist Montrealers can enjoy until the end of August, when the exhibit wraps up.
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