The residents of Bangalore cannot ignore it. There is a gigantic wall under the tracks that has been painted with bright colours and a portrait of a trans person. With a clear message next to it: ‘Navu Idivi’ (we exist too). One of the artists is Shanthi Muniswamy. Seven years ago, she came across the Aravani Art Project while scrolling through her social media feed. "I always had a passion for art. The fact that I now came across an organisation that is involved in art and supports trans women was fantastic! I feel so happy in this inclusive community; it’s like a family.”
The Aravani Art Project wants to make creative connections between members of the trans community and other communities worldwide, with the aim being to reduce the discrimination, the stigma and the systemic inequality with which trans persons are confronted. Artist Poornima Sukumar founded the Aravani Art Project during a feminist movement in 2015, specifically to give trans women the opportunity to show themselves in a different light. "Trans women are often seen sexually and not as people. That is the greatest violence that is inflicted upon them”, according to Poornima.
"The atmosphere is tangibly different thanks to the artworks that cover entire buildings. Art makes discussions possible in the social domain.”
Governments, companies and small organisations collaborate with trans women in a very natural way during an art project. Together, they create an environment in which anyone can take part and in which discussions are held. All participants are subtly made aware of their responsibility with respect to the social issues affecting trans women.
Safe spaces
In order to increase the visibility of the trans community, everything the art collective does and creates plays out in public spaces. Schools, parks and ghettos are the Aravani Art Project’s stage. "These places must become safe again for everyone. The people who come there or live there must be made aware of the impact of violence against trans people. We always study the place where we are going to work closely. We want it to be in keeping with its history and the people who live there. There is often a lot of criticism before we start with a mural. People expect a simple landscape as result. But when we are finished, we receive an enormous applause. Although the effect is difficult to measure in figures, Poornima emphasises: "The atmosphere is tangibly different thanks to the artworks that cover entire buildings. Art makes discussions possible in the social domain.”
In the heart of Bangalore, there is such a public space: the beautiful Cubbon Park. During an organised tour of the park, there are various performances by trans women, in which they link the history of the park to the search for love of all kinds of people, including their own. The spectators are given food for thought through poetry.
Creating room for social participation and a safe space for conversation is of paramount importance with the Aravani Art Project. "We have now done more than 350 art projects throughout India. Through this, we want to record stories of freedom, dreams of acceptance and hopes for opportunities."
In India, trans persons are bullied and criminalised to such a degree that many of them were not able to attend school. This makes it difficult to find work. Shanthi: "The Aravani Project has truly changed my life. My family accept me now and I can make a good living from it. Thanks to the project, I have also learned to deal with aggression against me as a person. My life is great now. I travel through India and meet so many interesting people.”
This series of articles showcase work by local partners of the Our Voices, Our Futures (OVOF) consortium, a feminist partnership led by CREA, together with Association for Progressive Communications (APC), UHAI – The East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative and WO=MEN and IM-Defensoras as strategic partner. OVOF is committed to helping structurally excluded women and trans people and strengthening inclusive feminist movements. One of the strategies for this is working with artists and using art to bring about structural changes in communities.
