The Women's Work Issue Women's Work. Pen and Brush. 2019 | Page 38

pen + brush x of note
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RAJAONARY ARRAYS THE STYLE, SUBSTANCE,
POWER, AND BEAUTY IN HER PORTRAITS OF
WOMEN FROM MADAGASCAR. IN DOING SO, SHE
IMAGINES AND ACCUMULATES A NEW SET OF
NARRATIVES, FIRST FOR HERSELF AS A MALAGASY
WOMAN, AND SECONDLY FOR A LARGER
PURPOSE OF REPRESENTING WOMEN FROM A
PART OF THE WORLD THAT LARGELY REMAINS
UNDER-THE-RADAR.
In the portrait Geneviève (page 13), her shoulder wrap is
a most refined lamba. It is made of silk, and looking at it
more closely, one sees the labor, love, and artistry in the
making of its complex geometric designs. Rajaonary notes
that the particular styling and fashioning of the lamba
reflects the poser’s desire to convey social rank and a
certain sense of power and pride.
The two young women in the portraits Ramiadana and
Hanta are also in collaboration and conversation with
Rajaonary. They each don a cosmetic mask infused with
sandalwood called Masonjoany, a beauty ritual inherited
from Indians and used to clean and protect the skin. In
the present day, wearing Masonjoany is tied to certain
traditional ceremonies and festive events and is in keeping
with wearing lamba for those special occasions. A new
generation of Malagasy women embrace the practice of
face painting using Masonjoany as both a symbol of their
heritage and customs and an expression of beauty.
Rajaonary’s commitment to exploring cultural depth and
particularity through centering the lamba, lambahoany,
and Masonjoany in her portraits is an expression of
the artist as activist. She understands, especially in our
current moment, the necessity to push the boundaries of
how women are seen and not seen—indeed a delicate and
politically fraught balance. In Lamba , Malagasy women are
proud, dignified, empowered. In that regard, Rajaonary
continues to pioneer.
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Women’s Work
Miora Rajaonary, Hanta, from the series, Lamba, 2018, archival
c-print, 33 x 33 inches. Courtesy of the artist.