In 1902, Edvard Munch shot himself in the hand after an argument with his lover. What followed was a self-portrait he called On the Operating Table, where the artist is seen naked, bleeding on an operating table — a sincere expression of his inner turmoil. Experiences can be translated into different forms, but like Munch, some turn it into art. For 25-year-old artist Bansri Thakkar, her own struggle with the stigma around menstruation inspired her to illustrate a zine titled The Silence of the Cramps. "I explore the subject in three parts. The first is childhood, when you're told to keep mum about getting your period. The next phase is trying to devise ways to hide the sanitary pad. And lastly, I wanted to show how it is represented in the media — like the blue gel used in advertising," she says.

Bhansri Thakkar