The art of coming out

 

He dared not to speak it aloud. “In the classrooms, my friends would mentally abuse the feminine gay men in college and I would quietly sit amidst them in fear of being found out. Indian culture isn’t against homosexuality. We fear and hate feminine men due to our deep-seated ideas of gender. So, people like me who look masculine have it easier than those who cannot mask their femininity. Reading about homosexuality in magazines and books later on helped me understand about myself,” explains Anish.

 

This is why it becomes important to narrate such stories. Homomorphism, an art exhibition that brings together five Malayali homosexual artists organised by Queerala, is an attempt to this end. 

 

Revathy, a journalist and the only female homosexual artist participating in the show, explains, “Unlike in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru or Chennai, homosexuality is still a hushed topic in Kerala. When it comes to such topics which have to be talked about deftly, art is one of the best ways because unlike journalism or activism, they touch people’s hearts. A few months back, a simple photograph of four women wearing mundu and shirt depicting the Premam scene made people go crazy. People become uncomfortable and enraged when notions of gender and sexuality are toyed around with. So such shows that create awareness become even more important here.”

 

Jijo Kuriakose, one of the participating artists, a vocal LGBTQ rights activist and the organiser of the show, agrees. “Realistic representations of homosexuality occupy a narrow space in the art world as many of the works that exist are done by heterosexuals and are inaccurate. So we are trying to represent the notions of body, same gender intimacy, fantasies and life through the eyes of homosexuals through visual frames, dispelling the sublime modes. Apart from the art show, we are also organising talks and interactive sessions to create more awareness about the subject.” 

 

 

 

 

Nishad from Kannur has a degree in Fine Arts, but he switched career paths and is now working as a medical professional. When he talked to his parents about his sexual orientation at a time when there was no internet access or major activism for homosexual awareness in Kerala, they brushed it off as a teenage phase that he would grow out of.

 

“I reacted to this with anger and aggression initially. Later, because I held my ground, my parents became accepting. Homosexuality is very common in our society and everyone knows about it. But it has to be done like playing hide and seek and we are not allowed to talk about it in public. So this is an effort to change that as well.”

 

 

Mohammed Zuhrabi, one of the artists and a student at Pondicherry University, has a boyfriend and came out to his closest friends and some of his teachers a year ago. But his family has been in the dark until now. “My parents live in Malappuram and they are very conservative. I don’t know how they are going to react to this. But I feel it is very important for me to say this in public because it will help a lot of youngsters find the courage to speak out as well. I have the support of my fellow LGBTQ friends and that’s my strength,” the otherwise meek-sounding Zuhrabi explains with conviction. The show will be held at Durbar Hall Art Gallery, Kochi from December 20-24.