Devi  2001
Shut Up! Chicago/Toronto Exchange Trinity Bellwoods Park, Toronto 
Photo Credit: Paul Couillard  

“This tableaux was about Devi, also known as the "Bandit Queen". She was born into a poor lower-caste rural family in the northern Indian state of Bihar. She became the subject of great fame and notoriety throughout India as the leader of a violent gang of dacoits (bandits) who terrorised authority for years until their surrender in 1983. Phoolan Devi became a popular cult figure, a vigilante liberator of the poor and a symbol of empowerment for the lower-castes of Bihar. This work is a homage to her journey and the strength for which she stands.”

~ FADO website