STARING WOMEN

The series entitled ‘Staring Women’ focus on feminist issues marked by male establishments and domination. Here, Preema’s paintings talk of self-reflexive visions on the categorization of women based on sexuality. These works, through vivid symbolism, paint untold stories of women under the veil in Bangladeshi socio-political context. Interestingly, Preema picks up as key-symbol: the eyes, and puts together metaphoric tools through her aesthetic sensible use of colors that emphasize the desires and dreams that women vision in Bangladesh. Often, her artworks scream against being victimized, often they celebrate their courage to act against the frames patriarchy has set-up for them since ages.

Symbolism poured in the paintings is reflected explicitly in the eyes of women and their veils which fail to cover the eyes that echo the tales of aspirations, rebuke male gaze picturizing Bangladeshi male-dominated notions.

Preema attempts to break gender taboos, also deconstructs relevant mythical allusions through the portrayal of legendary folk character ‘Behula’ in this series along with religious connotations through ‘snake-and-rose’ imageries in many of her paintings like ‘Dangerous Desire’ and ‘Deadly Affair’.

In most of the artworks, women’s eyes are highly sharpened more than the veil, for example: ‘Floating Eyes’, ‘Untold Stories’, ‘Dikhonditow’, and ‘Staring Blue Widow’; in addition, many eyes are contrasted compared to the background where eyes are set in the foreground deliberately, for instance: ‘Flower and Veil’, ‘Duality’, ‘Yet Veiled’, ‘Desire’, and so on. The voice of women, in her paintings, seems to exist in
the eyes as patriarchal framings have veiled the lips.

What is more striking to be noted is when women are termed ‘nature’ in the titles of Preema’s paintings, these refer quite opposite to the stereotypical notion of ‘Nature’. For instance, ‘Nature Women I’, ‘Nature Women II’, ‘Nature Women V’ present chaotic disturbed imageries where black tone dominates even in the crowd of green and yellow tones. Such artworks raise questions on the hegemonized notions that put chains and shackles on free-will of women, the ‘nature’ of women. Thus, Preema’s such canvases break the notions of absolutism.

The medium through which Preema experiments her visions are mostly oil on canvas, mixed media on canvas, acrylic on canvas, oil and fabric on canvas, and many more to depict the vivid versatility of the series, to focus on the different stages of women’s lives, to revolt against all the means that oppress the freedom of mind and soul. Thus, rises Preema’s visionary works.