Oil on linen (70 x 90 cm)
For sale (895 euros)
This woman is from the Dalit community, the lowest social class in Nepal. Once born into this caste, life is already set for you. A life without rights, of hard work and marrying young. In the past, children were measured using a stick. When they were tall enough, they could get married. This woman is originally from India, but around the age of ten she was married off to a boy from Nepal. She was carried to her new home on her brother's shoulders. A new country, a new village, a new family. Here she was expected to immediately start performing household duties. Her opinion was not asked. Life was already mapped out for her.
Child marriages still take place in Nepal, especially among lower castes. Although marriages under the age of 18 are officially banned, persistent poverty, lack of opportunities, age-old traditions and the caste system prove stronger than Nepalese law.