Chila used both her body and traditional Asian decorative elements frequently in her work to challenge and subvert stereotypical representation of South Asian female identity. She says, “Even when I’ve got bindis, I never use them like you’re meant to. It’s like an innate thing where I do the things that are the opposite. I hardly ever wear bindis where you are supposed to. I would say I use them in my work slightly subversively.”
Chila refers to ‘Bindi Girls’, a series from 2009. She used bindis, the colourful dots applied to the centre of the forehead, traditionally a signifier of married women, in explosively colourful mixed media works of women who were confident, sexual and sexualised, challenging conventional images of South Asian women.
Talking about ‘Armour’ (2020), Burman suggests it is a continuation of the theme of using Asian decorative symbols in a subversive way, “I had already covered my face in bindis before when I was doing a project in New Delhi, so to cover my body it was just…”
‘Armour’, made during lockdown, is a collaboration with video artist, Susanne Dietz. Burman removes decorative, jewelled body stickers from their packets and one by one covers her left arm as the camera follows her movements. Burman adds each one to her arm until there is no longer space, forming a tattoo-like protective sleeve.