The personification of the nation as a woman, mother or goddess can be traced back to the nationalist struggle for independence and found expression in literature, visual culture and performance arts. MOTHERLAND: PUSHPAMALA N.’S WOMAN AND NATION (Roli, Rs 1,495) is an interdisciplinary, scholarly catalogue of Motherland, a series of photo-performances by Pushpamala N., which examines the diverse embodiment of the nation as a maternal figure and feminist interventions by the artist.

Edited by Monica Juneja and Sumathi Ramaswamy, the book combines critical essays on the theological and political motivations behind the creation of Mother India with striking photographs of ‘womanhood’ intertwined with performative nationalism. But art-making can dismantle the monolithic idea of a nation state through performative destabilisation. The artist prioritises the need to recreate and reinterpret popular imagery according to the evolving reality.