Reading Journal #2, Annu Matthews, "What Will They Think"

The digital artist I have chosen is Annu Palakunnathu Matthew. The piece of digital art that attracted me to this artist was the “What Will People Think”. The book (Digital Art) mentions that the pieces that Annu Palakunnathu creates usually depict gender and social steriotypes in her homeland of India.

Annu Palakunnathu Matthew has a collection called “Bollywood Satirized” which is made up of of two pictures called “What Will People Think” as well as “Bomb”. Bollywood is the name given to the largest film industry in the world, concentrated in Bombay. She took posters and images from real films and edited them to a point where the image itself would provide visual aid for the viewer to understand the issues of women in India; such as the position of women in Indian society, the dowry system, arranged marriages, discrimination based on skin color, the stigma of pre-marital relationships and inter-racial relationships. Annu wanted to describe her experiences that she had as a woman growing up in India.

Annu Palakunnathu Matthew uses a software program that allows her to create unusually large images that mimic the size of movie posters. With impressive and up-to-date imaging technology, large digital output, and graphic statistical text, this is not a complex piece of work. By using real posters, combined with her own photos and words, Annu has complete control over the creation of her images, and she attempts to take control of the larger societal picture. These posters break the silence of unspoken tradition, force open a dialogue, and demand change. These two bodies of work, shown together, balance Annu's love and frustration for her countries policies

When I first saw this picture, I was wondering why there was a picture of a woman with words like “whore” and “easy”. It wasn’t until I read about this artist that I understood the meaning.One thing I really appreciate about this particular artist is her creative way of protest. Anyone can give a speech and anyone can hold signs up in an angry crowd. However, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew took it to the next level by expressing her views in a non-angry way and at the same time, showing her creativity and making a statement for all the women in India. This was Annu’s way of speaking up against all odds.




I got my information from the book as well as
http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews/2001/06/07/28666.html
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.decordova.org/decordova/images/exhibitions/2001/annual01/Annu.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.decordova.org/decordova/exhibit/2001/Annual01/matthew.html&usg=__YPPzE8f6NPfuPYVq3n8LAHGam9I=&h=400&w=269&sz=46&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=OigVYoP0ZTHIjM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=83&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dannu%2Bpalakunnathu%2Bmatthew%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4ADBS_enUS278US278%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1