Kathmandu Artist Sujan Chitrakar feels we might be engraving the concept of objectifying women and girls into our children as an “aesthetic object” when we give them putali (doll) to play with. The way children are painted with makeup to look pretty and cute, he says “we are limiting the parameters of beauty”. And the way fairy tales have narrated woman as someone who needs to be rescued by a prince has him questioning the status quo of women in society. He throws open the debate through his visual art ‘Object of Desire’ — he has showcased nine tiny dolls in frocks in a box, their lips smeared with red lipstick; the box’s glass has a text from Manusmriti 3/56 which translates as: “Where women are honoured, there the gods rejoice; where they are not, all actions are fruitless”. Along with his point of women’s objectification, he has tried to highlight the hypocrisy of society — the same people who worship women as goddesses treat them as mere objects of desire. Objectification of women is a reality of society. Another fact is her exploitation — physical exploitation. Exploring such themes of objectification, exploitation, abuse, myths surrounding women, as well as her empowerment, ‘The True Stories Project’ unfolds at Patan Museum through various visual art form. The creative project on display has been designed to raise awareness about trafficking through poignant and artistic expression of paint, colours, photography, props, audio-visuals, among others. Curated by the Siddhartha Arts Foundation and Art Works for Change, the project was developed through a series of six-month interactive workshops with young victims of sex trafficking and those at-risk for exploitation. ‘A Hopeless Dreamer’ about a dream of a girl versus the harsh reality, or ‘Aarati’s Story’ as dark as dark clouds are some of those stories. Another story unravels in Don and Era Farnsworth’s painting: images sourced as varied as Tibetan mandalas and paintings of Biblical themes to tell a new story — as captioned: “In the shadow, Cinderella, the fairy tale of an exploited young girl, is culturally transported to a place of obliterating darkness”. Meanwhile, documentary photographer Nabin Baral has captured women being affected by centuries-old superstitious beliefs that are still deep-rooted in social and cultural structures. Taken from his photo story ‘Victims of Superstition’, he has captured how weak, poor, and single women can be victims of superstition and witchcraft. And this work is an art “for change”. He wishes “to exhibit the photographs in schools to bring about awareness in students” where such superstitions are prevalent. The artwork that reflect the theme of woman and her exploitation and empowerment as well as evoke you at the same time of the need for change include works by Ang Tsherin Sherpa, Lava Thomas, Cate White, Sujan Chitrakar, Hit Man Gurung, Stacy Leigh, Sheelasha Raibhandari, The Ugly Truth Campaign, among others. The exhibition that opened on July 14 is on till July 31.