Naisha Chowdhury
Churail, 2021
Oil paint on canvas

This painting is the last in a series that tells a story of a little girl who gets married off to an older man without her will or knowledge. She gets tricked into marrying him and is sent to an unknown man’s house, leaving behind her parents’ house, her education, and her dreams. This series touches upon marital rape and how it is very common and legal in certain cultures. These cultural norms often go against basic human rights, ruin one’s life, and break their will to survive.

The climax in the story of this child bride is when her husband beats her up, breaks her leg and then in her weakened state, her brother-in-law rapes her. This painting follows up that horrific event; it depicts when she dies from all the blood loss and turns into a witch. After turning into this witch, she flies away in the forest to avenge other girls who have endured the same trauma as her. I want my viewer to feel the pain of the little girl that has to go into bed with an unknown man, her pain in enduring the worst night of her life, and bring awareness to the issues of certain laws regarding marital practices