Natasha Sachdeva. Despite being blessed with graceful bodies, women regularly encounter comments and criticism about their ‘body type’. No matter how much we have ‘evolved’, the idea of beauty has been narrowed down to inches and kilos. Societal pressure forces women to achieve an idol-like, ideal body – what exactly does this measure? Does it even exist? And the irony is we are taught to be comfortable in our skin!

My art practice is an attempt to celebrate the bulky and heavy bodies I see around me – those that carry more baggage. I enjoy creating skin, with its numerous layers, marks, spots, lines – and the feelings hidden beneath it. My figures are mainly headless as I feel the significance of body is much more than the face. I have also created works with very vibrant colored undergarments and often reflected on the fact that there are many designs and types of undergarments available for women in the market as compared to men. Its interesting to me how women enjoy experimenting with their undergarments – do they do this for themselves or to please their partners? As I explore further, more questions rather than answers appear to emerge.