A salutary experience

I was determined to go to this exhibition before it closes tomorrow. You will see it is in the Side Gallery in Newcastle.

I made it to Hexham for the 1040 train, but it had been cancelled. Thankfully the bar was open and there was good hot coffee on offer. It was warm, another bonus because the weather was terrible. After a convivial time with other passengers, I joined the next train, which stopped everywhere. Never mind, I was in time for my slot at the gallery.

I had not heard of Poulomi Basu, but I should have. The print exhibtion spans work from 2009 to 2021.

To Conquer Her Land documents the first Indian women soldiers trained to work in the border force in the Punjab on the notorious border with Pakistan.
Centralia documents women guerrilla in India fighting against the Indian forces in a little known area of civil war.

The third part of the exhibition, Blood Speaks: A Ritual of Exile, is a virtual reality show of three short films. All tackle the disturbing subject of the abuse of girls and women in parts of Nepal during menstruation and after childbirth. The virtual reality means that you feel you are truly in the environment. Moving your head allows you to see different parts of the action.

To say I was shocked is an understatement. This gave an insight into terrible suffering within a community, convinced that menstrual blood is evil and damaging. No one in the family has any contact with the women and they sleep in animal byres or tool sheds, often open to the elements. 

The practice was made illegal by the Nepalese government in 2005, but it continues in some areas.

Girls in their teens are left in a hut alone with a new baby for two weeks, during which time no one helps, even if they are ill, because of the fear of contamination.

This will stay with me for a long time. Let's hope that change can be facilitated from such excellent documentary work.
 
Poulomi Basu homepage
Side Gallery review