In the performance piece "INCIPIENT," staged within a stark white cube, I embraced the profound metamorphosis of pregnancy. Eight months into the creation of life, my body became both canvas and exhibit, the white expanse of my surroundings a metaphor for the womb. Attached to my belly, a bulbous sphere projected the visage of my child's father, cycling through the gamut of human emotions—from joy to sorrow, anger to laughter—emulating the intense spectrum of sensations a child might perceive within the sanctum of the womb.

This piece sought to illuminate the often-invisible labor of maternity in the contemporary art world, a realm where the maternal body is either ignored or steeped in stereotype. Here, I stood, my own form a declaration that refused to separate the maternal from the artist. "INCIPIENT" was my announcement to the world, not whispered but boldly proclaimed—I am here, pregnant and proud, my existence an intentional interplay between the seen and unseen, challenging societal filters and preconceived notions of motherhood.

As a mother, the body becomes a site of dual performances: the one that nurtures and contains, and the other that responds and communicates to the world outside. This piece poses the question: Who is the true performer? Is it the mother, guiding the infant's presence, or the infant, compelling the mother to adapt and perform? This symbiotic dance was underscored by the projection of the Navras—the nine emotions central to Indian Sanskrit literature—on the exaggerated womb-like form. It blurred the lines between the internal and external worlds, mirroring the complex interplay between an infant's burgeoning awareness and a mother's societal persona.

"INCIPIENT" was not merely a performance; it was a lived experience of creation, a testament to the maternal form and its intrinsic artistry. It is a dialogue of movement and emotion, exploring the deep connection between a mother's expanding body and the burgeoning life within, both performing in their own right, in a symphony of existence.