Commissioned by the Grand Rapids Symphony (Marcelo Lehninger, music director).
Work composed by Nina Shekhar in 2021-2023, with accompanying video design by the composer commissioned by Grand Rapids Symphony
I never truly felt like a woman growing up. Being brown, I was a woman in mind, form, soul, and ambition – but never in American societal perception. Being a focus of others’ desire felt impossible for me, so I thought I myself wasn’t allowed to desire.
The quote hate the sin, love the sinner is often taken out of context from its original meaning and has since been used to stigmatize minority communities. The most commonly used version of the phrase originates from Gandhi’s 1929 autobiography in which he actually critiques its validity, writing, “'Hate the sin and not the sinner' is a precept which, though easy enough to understand, is rarely practiced, and that is why the poison of hatred spreads in the world.” If, as Gandhi writes, we are all “tarred with the same brush,” then what informs our moral judgments over another person’s identity?
This piece is a reclamation of that phrase, exploring my own gender, sexuality, and coming of age from a first-generational lens while paying homage to the Bollywood "vamp" feminist icons who challenged censorship and taught me what ownership of one's identity could look like in a society that so often defeminizes brown women and takes away their sexual agency. As I slowly learn who I am, reclaiming my voice, body, and spirit doesn’t make me a sinner. It makes me human.
(Video design by Nina Shekhar, commissioned by Grand Rapids Symphony)
Performed by Nina Shekhar on October 24th, 2023 at Princeton University; recorded by Four/Ten Media; performance, video, & lights by Nina Shekhar
February 4th, 2022* (canceled due to COVID-19)
Grand Rapids Symphony: New World Symphony
Performed by Grand Rapids Symphony (Marcelo Lehninger, conductor)
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids, MI
February 5th, 2022* (canceled due to COVID-19)
Grand Rapids Symphony: New World Symphony
Performed by Grand Rapids Symphony (Marcelo Lehninger, conductor)
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids, MI
March 21st, 2023 (version for voice and electronics)
Tuesdays at Monk Space Presents: Nina Shekhar & Friends
Performed by Nina Shekhar
Monk Space, Los Angeles, CA
May 19th, 2023
Grand Rapids Symphony concert: Mahler’s Titan
Performed by Grand Rapids Symphony (Marcelo Lehninger, conductor)
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids, MI
May 20th, 2023
Grand Rapids Symphony concert: Mahler’s Titan
Performed by Grand Rapids Symphony (Marcelo Lehninger, conductor)
DeVos Performance Hall, Grand Rapids, MI
