Femininity in Kitchen Utensils: Arti Kadam’s reflections on the intricacies of women’s lives

Arti Kadam’s installation Dohar 2025, showcased at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, is a striking exploration of how everyday kitchen utensils can embody femininity and reflect the layered experiences of women’s lives.

Femininity in the Ordinary
Kadam challenges viewers to see spoons, ladles, and jars not just as functional tools but as carriers of identity, resilience, and adaptability. She suggests that femininity is hidden in every utensil, much like in the unnoticed details of women’s daily lives.

Material as Metaphor
The utensils are carved from locally sourced softwood. Kadam draws a parallel between wood and women’s lives—both can be shaped into any form, symbolizing strength, flexibility, and endurance.

Kitchen as Cultural Memory
For Kadam, the kitchen is not merely a domestic space but a site of heritage. Vessels passed down through generations embody traditions, agricultural practices, and social values, transcending caste, religion, and inequality.

Modern vs. Traditional Kitchens
She contrasts vibrant, utensil-filled traditional kitchens with sleek, modular modern ones where utensils are hidden away. This shift, she argues, erases the “character” of kitchens and disconnects families from their cultural roots.

Romanticism and Reflection
Her installation includes a wooden sculpture of a kitchen, a laid table, and utensils displayed on walls—inviting viewers to reflect on aesthetics, memory, and the unseen labor tied to femininity.

Why It Matters
Kadam’s work reframes domestic objects as symbols of identity and resilience. By elevating utensils into art, she highlights how women’s lives—often overlooked—are deeply intertwined with heritage, tradition, and creativity.