Women’s sufferings in patriarchal society reflected in artworks

KARACHI: A solo exhibition, titled ‘Unnatural Selection’, featuring artworks by Fatima Munir on the theme of women’s miseries in a patriarchal society, is being held at the Canvas Art Gallery.

Commenting on her works on display, the 40-year-old artist says they deal with socio-political issues and how they have directly affected her life.

“I have most often projected my reactions through interventions on found objects and have repeatedly drawn attention to my subject of interest via patterns.”

Having reached her midlife, she believes that her art has evolved to represent the weight of expectations placed on a woman by society – a burden that every woman is expected to carry while maintaining the composure of a wallflower.

Many of her paintings depict wallflowers as a symbol for women. She explains that women are similar to wallflowers as they are always expected to look pretty. “This is what even a female thinks for a female,” she says and adds that women are expected to be perfect and beautiful at the same time, whereas, a flawed man is accepted in our patriarchal society. “The lady has to be flawless.”

The title, ‘Unnatural Selection’, according to her, reflects that men are not expected to change. The fact that flaws in the men are accepted, while the women are expected to remain quiet and not speak for themselves is unnatural selection, she explains.

The world, she says, may be taking small but steady steps forward in the fight for women’s rights, yet even in privileged circles – such as the one where she belongs to – a strong and independent woman with her own thoughts, ideas and voice is not a man’s equal. “Every day is a battle for the woman who challenges these norms. To those who subscribe to outdated gender biases, a woman’s worth is measured by how well she serves a man and the rest of her is censored and rubbished in the unnatural selection of sexes.”

Fatima believes that in society where a woman is expected to be perfect all the time, her opinions do not matter at all because she is not a breadwinner. “In our society, a woman gets respect when she earns,” she remarks, adding that women’s house chores are not recognised or acknowledged by society.

The women in our society, according to the artist, have no freedom as in their childhood it is their fathers or brothers who take decisions on their behalf, and after the marriages, the decision-making power goes to the husbands and then to sons.

Explaining one of her paintings in which there are 10 plates of flowers, two of which are clearly visible and the rest blurred, she says it reflects the norm of our our society under which a man is allowed to select a girl for the marriage and he chooses his wife on the basis of looks. This is the power of selection of which the women are deprived, says the artist.

The difference between a man and a woman, according to her, is of emotions. “Women’s emotions are crazy,” she says, adding that men on the other side are physically strong.

Fatima did her bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the Indus Valley School of Arts and Architecture. She also works on found objects and is interested in embroidery as well. The exhibition continues until October 31.