Marla Indhira - Artist Statement

 Marla Indhira

Artist Statement

My work discharges a bold and confrontational energy, where I explore themes as identity, power, violence, femininity, and subversion. The recurring use of red, black and high contrast imagery shows the intensity, rebellion and emphasis in my photographs. Most of the time there’s a theatrical quality to my compositions almost as if I was staging modern exorcisms with imposed narratives and traumas. I also implement a lot of iconography, religious symbolism less as devotion and more about interrogation to support my constant research of what I once was. Through these subtle yet provocative acts I aim to create moments of dissonance where the familiar becomes uncertain, and the authority of sacred spaces is gently questioned. My personal experiences with my culture have fueled my desire to challenge and expose the often arbitrary nature of societal constraints. My perspective keeps changing as I open up more to knowing things instead of believing in them. 

As a visual artist concentrating in photography I enjoy creating with different mediums such as silkscreen screen printing, image manipulation, video, and audio. Each piece I create holds a multitude of possibilities, and I’ve learned to trust that working with minimal resources often suffices to express complex ideas. In my recent projects, I’ve delved deeper into personal themes by featuring individuals who hold significant meaning in my life, I have also been using myself as the subject and being more experimental in approach. While my work has always been personal, this current focus emphasizes these connections, aiming to capture and convey their essence or the essence I want them to perform. At the same time, I remain acutely aware of the world’s complexities and injustices, ensuring that my art reflects both personal narratives and broader social analysis.