Offering 2024

Embroideries with thread and beads on textile

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“Here is the meat

and fat and bone

of the day. The smoke

too for the god of recognition.”

    Excerpt from Donika Kelly’s poem “Offering”

 

In 2015 a man was killed under the suspicion of consuming the flesh of a sacred animal. As retribution, a human life was sacrificed. And one more, and more over the years – as this became a repeating pattern.

Offering is a counter to the brutality of male aggression with the meditative act of embroidery, a medium that has traditionally resided in the feminine domain. This artistic exploration becomes a symbolic act that challenges the prevailing violence with the tranquil rhythm of needle and thread. Through this work, Gopika attempts to unravel a paradoxical narrative in which violence and death swirl around the consumption of forbidden flesh — where the forbidden becomes both a source of sustenance and a trigger for societal upheaval.

The series of vivid, tactile and visceral embroideries representing flesh yet obscuring its source, serve as a contemplative reflection on the dualities within societal norms, the fragility of our ethical constructs and the potential for transformative dialogue through artistic expression.
 

First exhibited at Goa Open Arts festival, Goa, 2024