Transwomen paint their subaltern lives at Biennale

KOCHI: Carving out their own niche without grumbles but pure fortitude, a group of 12 transwomen portrayed their thoughts on canvas at Aspinwall House over the weekend in an attempt to draw international attention to the large yet ignored community of transgenders in the state.
The first-of-its-kind art workshop in the state targeting the transgender community for an artistic revolution was organized by Sahodari Foundation, one of the pioneering organizations in India working for the welfare of the community since 2007.
“We chose the Kochi Muziris-Biennale main venue to be the location for our workshop so as to mark our disappointment in the too little, or to be honest, the complete non-representation of the transgender community in the largest and only art Biennale of India. There was depiction of almost all kinds of major community crises in the world – be it the refugees, religious minorities & women– but not a single painting or installation that illustrated our community or even an artist representing us,” said Kalki Subramaniam, an artist and founder of Sahodari Foundation.
A total of 16 paintings were created during the workshop. Ten of the 12 transwomen who participated in the workshop were those who never touched a paintbrush before.
“The curator is the sole decision maker in the selection of the artists and the artworks that are to be included in the Biennale. And the curator does not look at the person or the community they represent, but the artwork alone,” said an official associated with the KMB 2016.