Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Wolverhampton
Chila Kumari Burman: shakti, sexuality and bindi girls
Brief Description
The e-book is a study of the British Asian artist Chila Kumari Burman. It is part of a series of monographs published by KT Press.
Research Rationale
This book is part of ongoing research on womanism and intersectionality, which is conveyed in other publications, such as my contribution ‘Black Feminism in the Academy’ in ‘Being a Feminist Academic’, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (forthcoming) and commissioned encyclopedia entries, namely ‘bell hooks’ and ‘male gaze’ in Encyclopedia of Gender in Media (Sage, 2012) edited by M. Kosut and G. J. Golson.
Strategies Undertaken
The monograph is a full-scale examination of the artworks of Burman, including her early to current works and focuses on the themes in her work which, include identity, womanism, sexuality. Lynda Nead wrote the first monograph on Burman’s work (1995), which was largely based around Burman’s early work but this book is a comprehensive study of all work to date. An issue, which is discussed at length, is the Hindu notion of shakti, or female power. Burman’s art destabilises the notion of black art by refusing to be pinned down. It harbours contradictions that are resolved only through accommodation and an acceptance of the complexity of identity.
