Pointing Finger Plates Series #03, by Nandini Chandavarkar

The Pointing Finger Plates are part of the Fragment/ed series, which interrogates fragmented narratives surrounding the female body.

As a child, I was taught never to point my finger at anyone, as one rarely understands the ‘reach’ that action might have. It directs attention, making something more visible and tangible. This seemingly simple act grants agency to the person doing the pointing. The finger, therefore, becomes a fragment—an object detached from one’s body. By featuring this image on my plates, I point to the verbal objectification of my body that is constantly pointed out to me.

Drawing from 18th-century English delftware plates, these works prompt viewers to reflect on India’s complex entanglement with postcolonial ceramic traditions.