It is safe to say that she emerged on the Indian art scene in 2009, anonymous visual and performance artist Princess Pea has remained somewhat of a mystery. Only identifiable by her iconic oversized heads, Gurugram-based Pea is well-known for using her art to empower women and children in India. Through her work, she aims to create spaces for sharing, recuperation, rehabilitation and action as well as draw attention to women and children in social/public spaces that tend to be more male-dominated. One of the main causes that she is incredibly passionate about is women’s healthcare. “Often in primary health centres, they encounter male doctors and are degraded because of their social status. There is a lack of empathy when it comes to their health at the grassroots level and the fact that most of the women’s problems are gynaecological, leads to social shaming and generalisation with her character,” explains Pea. Most recently, Pea was a part of the ‘Khud Se Pooche’ campaign led by organisations Sakhi, Gaurav Gramin Mahila Vikas Manch, and a Patna-based youth collective led by Ashoka Young Change Maker where the aim was to raise awareness about healthcare for the women in the city. We reached out to the inspiring artist to talk about the reasons for her anonymity, what drives her to help women and what’s coming up next for her.
Her Circle: Why is being anonymous important to you?
Princess Pea: To me, anonymity is a luxury. I always imagined creating work through which one can bring conversations together and where one can share and see themselves through it. In 2008 when I started this project, the ideas of avatars were tinkering a lot and social media was buzzing with new accounts. Having a social existence was becoming a part of our daily ritual but I was always sceptical and rather dubious about the whole idea of presence and the public projection.
Her Circle: What drives you to take all the initiatives that you do to help women?
Princess Pea: The most excellent stories are the ones of women and their domestic, personal lives. Over the years, I have been working with women who belong to a diverse range of economy and religion-based social structures in India. I want to excavate extraordinary stories of ordinary women. To do this, I use storytelling as a therapy to highlight their compromised ambitions. This happens due to a lack of education, marriage, motherhood, and jobs–all of which is because the expectation of 'sacrifice' is placed onto women.
The conversations bring women and their stories into various visible social settings including performances, talks, fashion, film, on the internet, and in books. My work attempts to create spaces for women to meet, share, picnic, and document these stories of personal heroism that are almost always lost.
Her Circle: How do you open up women’s minds to the idea that access to better healthcare is a possibility for them?
Princess Pea: Personal stories are shared by me and an extensive discussion about the meaning of self-care and role-play is encouraged at our women-led initiatives. It is a combined model of personality and empathy mapping. We then leave the discussion open for women to share their experiences.
The aim here is to make the neglected feel comfortable. We do this by collecting knowledge and sharing it. By accessing and passing on daily rituals, and respecting gestures of vulnerability, this exercise attempts to bring women closer to each other. We want them to see themselves differently but at the same time respect their beliefs, and try to install new ideas through each other’s life expectancies.
Her Circle: How can we all be better allies to each other?
Princess Pea: Having a good conversation is great, to begin with. Invite the women around you to share the details about the highs and lows of everyday life with you and give them a shoulder to lean on. Also, very important to listen and actually empathise with each other.
Her Circle: What is in the pipeline next for Princess Pea?
Princess Pea: Watch out for the Princess Pea channel which may be a podcast or a series of short films soon. These focus on women's emotions and mental well-being, conversations about life, society, and relationships.
Image source: Instagram.com/PrincessPeaIndia