For(e)bearer
by Maneesa Veeravel
2021, Marker on Paper, 8.5” x 14”
A portrait of the artist’s ancestor with nature, familial and organ imagery.
This illustration depicts a person with dark brown skin and hair styled in braids, wearing a circular, red pottu (bindi) as well as a circular, gold earring and gold necklaces. Their figure is placed in the centre of the illustration, facing us with their head slightly tilted to the right, showing their entire face and upper torso. They wear a colourful saree draped across their torso, with details of a butterfly, spider, three faces of family members, shapes, symbols, and a golden border along the edge of the garment. Their saree blouse has tiger stripes and ladybug spots on the upper left shoulder. The background is primarily bright lime green. There is an illustration of a river running through on the top left, many pink flowers, leaves, blood cells, a pink shell in the middle, and a stomach attached to a colon on the top right.
An illustrated and coloured portrait of the artist’s ancestor, looking directly at us, surrounded by illustrations of plants, fruits, and insects—familial and organ imagery overlap the figure and are drawn in the background.
Maneesa (they/he/she) is an interdisciplinary creative born and raised on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, the Wendat, and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. As a Tamil, genderfluid, queer survivor with chronic pain, their work reflects intergenerational wounds, wits, and wisdom related to belonging.