"Women's Power" Scarf

The image on this scarf is derived from the painting Women’s Power by Shalinee Kumari (Indian, b 1985). A celebration of Devi (Great Goddess) — and of women — the painting interprets and inventively combines traditional visual references to make new meaning, one particularly resonant in today’s world. Through composition and symbolism, Kumari’s mighty goddess embodies the power of women, as the title suggests.

A three-headed and multiarmed goddess emerges from a lotus. Conveying her immense and numerous powers, she holds symbolic objects associated with various Hindu deities: Vishnu, Lakshmi and Sarasvati. The goddess’s lower half incorporates the image of Ardhanarishvara, who is Shiva combined with the goddess Parvati. The goddess is shown standing on male corpses, a type of image seen in esoteric tantric goddess worship.

Related exhibition: Painting is My Everything: Art From India’s Mithila Region at the Asian Art Museum (Sep. 7–Dec. 30, 2018).  

Additional Information:

• Material: Silk chiffon
• Size: 40 x 40 inches