Happening
In September 2010, the artist Prune Nourry installed her sculptures in the streets of New Delhi, and documented with photos and videos the multiple reactions of the inhabitants. After barely settling into the street decorum, the sculptures aroused curiosity and provoked a sudden mob. The link between Gau Mata (Mother Cow) and the condition of women was naturally shown before a largely male audience and mix of the most diverse classes: street vendors, plumbers, policemen, students, ...
Hybrids between India’s sacred cow and women, Prune’s sculptures «Holy Daughters», raised the issue of the selection of sex through ultrasounds, an important Asian contemporary issue. In India, the cow, a symbol of fertility thanks to the milk it offers, is venerated. The girl on the other hand, though the vector of fertility, is seen as a burden and is therefore undesired. Hybridizing girls with Indian cows points to a paradox: while placing women at the same rank as sacred cows, it also stick the girl to this image of purity, as she's perceived by Indian society for generations.