Young Marriage
(2019)
There is a 15 years old girl marrying a stranger who she has never met before. The man is not only a stranger, he is also about the same age as her dad. She finds herself in a beautiful red bridal costume, getting ready for the unwanted wedding. She is scared to leave her home behind and be completely alone to be together with old men. The best she can do is a howl for help in silence despite there being no one to back her up.
This is the story of 1 in 9 girls under 18 in developing countries. This is the story of 1 in 3 girls under the age of 15.
The artist discloses the cruel reality of child marriage by recreating the red bridal costume while transferring the meaning of the garment from a symbolization of love to sorrow. The artist's choice of the yarn color navy is hidden under the red skirt as a means to represent the toxicity of early marriage. The giant wedding veil itself becomes a small personal boundary of the bride. The artist made it just enough to cover the bridal face with an intention to protect the bridal dignity from public attention. She can cry as much as she wants without being caught by people under this giant cape.
