Goddesses

1995-2000

I did Goddesses while studying at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design. This is a hybrid work that combined digital and analog techniques. For this, I had collected sex cards from Soho, in central London, a region that is traditionally associated with nightlife and the sex industry. Later, I scanned them to make digital negatives and made analog silver bromide prints. Then, did hand sequencing on the prints to create Goddesses. In South India, there was a tradition of sequencing in Ravi Varma’s posters and other popular images of gods and goddesses. Relating to this local Kitsch culture and subaltern practice, I did this on photographic prints. The glittering sequences added an altogether different quality. I had earlier done works that juxtaposed digital and analog techniques, but this was the first time I had amalgamated both in a single print.