The “Acerbic Drips” Series consists of twelve paintings on acid attack stories from Bangladesh. During my first visit to Dhaka in 2004, I had the unique honor of meeting and interviewing several survivors of acid violence. From a young man attacked over a property dispute to many young women attacked for rejecting romantic advancements and marriage proposals, to a young boy forced to drink acid by his aunt over property inheritance. The initial set of paintings was splatter paintings done on skin-complexioned panels. But as the goal of the paintings was to depict the beauty and resilience of acid survivors, the gesso splatters were created over delicately embroidered Indian silk with gold weaves. Though the textures of the splatter mimic the textures of acid-burned skin, they are of the same color as the silk fabric to convey a process of healing and rehabilitation. However, metaphorically, the splatters are the representation of the survivors as autonomous individuals. Some stand out more, and some blend in more with the background fabric, some are heavily textured, while others are not. The paintings attempt to convey the most arduous part of the acid attack journey— the rehabilitation process where survivors are assisted in returning back into society and trying to “fit in.” For many, the rehabilitation process lasts a lifetime. Detailed descriptions of their stories are in the book Corrode: An Artist’s Response to Acid Violence in South Asia.

Acerbic Drips Details.