Dr Sangeeta Sandrasegar
On the field of truth on the battle field of life IV , 2021-2023
Pierced and cut paper, hand dyed in Indian madder
Sangeeta Sandrasegar melds her research in postcolonial theory with the ephemeral symbolism of light and shadow to build a new language of visual poetics. In her bodies of work, Sandrasegar constructs a continuous narrative centred upon the relationships of migrant communities to their homelands. The artist's use of silhouettes interprets the fluctuating nature of shadows to represent the ambiguous condition of marginalised individuals caught in a web of oppressive systems of migration and resettlement. For Sharjah Biennial 15, Sandrasegar presents On the field of Truth on the battlefield of Life IV (2021), 105 brightly lit, wall-mounted figures that cast Silhouettes upon the wall, creating a procession of bright colours and stark shadows. In a series of paper cutout figures informed by the artist's research into Southeast Asian cultures, the work references Sandrasegar's family history, life in Australia and recent experience with motherhood. The artist's chosen materials, indigo dye and Indian madder, were inspired by her reading of the revered Hindu text Bhagavad Gita. The use of mark making, delicate piercing and paper cutting in On the field of Truth on the battlefield of Life IV also reflects on the labour of women and the intergenerational importance of women's creative spaces where sewing and needlework take place. By embracing the uncertain quality of shadows, Sandrasegar presents the hazy and unsettled nature of the migrant existence as the murky backdrop of a lively procession.