BODY POLITIC

Dior’s latest runway collaborator, artist Shakuntala Kulkarni, on her armours of strength and contradiction

- NIDA NAEEM

The word ‘armour’ evokes images of a medieval knight clad in a hefty metallic visor and breastplate, perhaps with a touch of chainmail. The

combatant is typically a man – the protector who needs protection. But Shakuntala Kulkarni reimagines both the form and the wearer with ‘Armour For The Brides’, a series of cane armatures that made their way to the Dior Fall/ Winter 2024 show. The artist, whose work explores the relationship between the female body and urban public and private spaces, worked with creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri to mount the installations as a part of the runway set. These pieces serve to clothe, protect, and transform the body, but at the same time, cage it. They are shaped to the body measurements of Kulkarni, who also wears and performs in them. “Clothing can speak about power, freedom, dignity, and respect. Apart from that it can create a powerful female gaze. It can also be a metaphor for protecting the female body while at the same time trapping it, creating restrictions on free movement. I have used these metaphors to address the atrocities on the female body, which can cause discomfort, fear, and upset.”