Hema committee report inspires an art exhibition

Oru Chayakkada Scene by Anjana Dev, one of the exhibits at the You Cannot Act Upon What You Cannot See art exhibition

Any mention of a government committee report is bound to evoke dry, uninspiring images, far removed from the world of art. But then, the K. Hema Committee report is not just like any other report, for its far-reaching ramifications in the world of cinema and for the conversations it kindled in other spheres. Now, a group of artists working in different mediums have come together to create works of art based on the report and the representation of women in Malayalam cinema.

The exhibition titled ‘You cannot act upon what you cannot see’ is the opening exhibition of the Neighbour Gallery started by artists Valentina Abenavoli and Joe Paul Cyriac at Kesavadasapuram in the capital. A printed copy of the Hema committee report, with a red tape bound around it signifying the delay in publishing the report, is itself an exhibit, along with the letter submitted by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, which led to the formation of the committee.

The Justice Hema Committee report as an art exhibit.

One of the standout exhibits is Oru Chayakkada Scene by Anjana Dev, which has a large photograph at the centre of a group of women joyfully sipping tea at a local Chayakkada. Juxtaposed around it are around a hundred screenshots of tea shop scenes from Malayalam films over the years, all of them featuring only men, highlighting how leisurely public spaces are often out of bounds for women.

Rosy’s Wall, an installation by the Neighbour Collective is an attempt to resist the narratives imposed upon P.K. Rosy, the first actress of Malayalam cinema. The installation is a repeated reproduction of the only surviving photo of Rosy, similar to the Marilyn Monroe Diptych by pop artist Andy Warhol. The installation, along with Meera K.M.’s sketchbook Study of an Artist, looks at Rosy’s little known history as the first woman to act in theatre. Adding to this are the haunting soundscapes from Aleena’s sound installation We are watching you which tells a larger story of violence and voyeurism faced by women.

Rosy’s Wall by Neighbour Collective

Sreeja Pallam’s series of images titled Women at Working Places portrays women in various workspaces traditionally imagined to fall within the male domain. As part of her ongoing research work on the WCC, Miriam Chandy Menacherry documents rare photographs of women working in various departments of cinema, including cinematographer Fowzia Fathima, film editor Bina Paul and filmmaker and academic Asha Achy Joseph.

The exhibition will be on at the Neighbour gallery till February 8.