I made this sculpture in 2019 for my ISC Board Project in the 12th Grade. The sculpture has an interior of a metal wire framework, newspaper packing with a final layer of POP. The hair is made with rope and coconut husk. The features and details were carved once the POP had dried.

The sculpture is titled ‘Deconstructing Perceptions’, a bit edgy for a 17 year old but that’s what I wanted to call it at the time.

My teachers in school would call me out for wearing lip balm as if it was to ‘impress the boys’ and they would ask me to tie my hair because if it was open the boys in class wouldn’t be able to focus. I remember for one event we all had to wear saris and you could see a bit of my collarbones and scapula in the blouse that I was wearing and my class teacher called me out in front of all the students for trying to ‘entice’ the boys around me. 

I’m a girl, of course every single thing I do is for boys look at me, duh! I was 17 and angry and so, I made this sculpture, using myself as a reference with exaggerated features, a really big chest and a resting bitch face.

Sometimes, the male gaze comes from high school teachers. Who would have thought!