At 80, Indian artist and feminist Nalini Malani continues to confront issues of war, power, and entrenched masculinity through her work, which often addresses the impact of violence on women. Known for her critical engagement with India’s political and social history, Malani is presenting a major new installation at the 61st Venice Biennale, hosted by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art.

Malani’s latest creation, titled *Of Woman Born*, is featured within the historic Magazzini del Sale, a 15th-century salt warehouse repurposed for the event. The immersive installation consists of 30,000 hand-drawn iPad images displayed in an “animation chamber,” an environment where layered visuals and sound work together to envelop the viewer. This method continues Malani’s longstanding use of digital media to amplify her reach and impact.

The work draws heavily on the Greek myth of Orestes, who kills his mother and her lover to avenge his father but is subsequently absolved of guilt by Athena. Malani uses this narrative to explore the patriarchal systems that justify violence against women and sustain cycles of unaccountable aggression. The myth’s adaptation, which features Athena’s establishment of a court and the inception of democratic voting, is scrutinized for its erasure of the female perspective, reflecting ongoing societal structures that marginalize women.

Malani has cited contemporary global conflicts in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran as catalysts for the urgency behind her latest piece. “What we are witnessing globally is unbearable,” she said, describing the inspiration as rooted in a visceral response to widespread suffering and injustice. Through this work, she aims to challenge established geopolitical narratives and highlight the often overlooked agency of women amid violence.

The exhibition also features *The Skipping Girl*, a recurring figure in Malani’s oeuvre, who appears outside the chamber on posters, banners, and Venice’s vaporetto signage. The figure embodies a complex symbol of joy and hysteria, serving as a counterforce to the surrounding horrors.

Malani’s work at Venice continues her decades-long engagement with myth as a language for confronting the repetitive nature of injustice. She emphasizes the importance of reexamining societal violence through the lens of the feminine, a perspective she believes is necessary for moving beyond technological progress to meaningful cultural transformation. By situating her art within a space that evokes ancient cave paintings, Malani creates a dialogue between history, myth, and contemporary crises, inviting viewers to reconsider power, accountability, and resistance.