Aravani Art Project: Giving a voice to transgenders

Bengaluru: Art never discriminates, even though we humans sometimes do. The Aravani Art Project has its roots in this sentiment.

Depicting the story of transgenders on the canvas of Bengaluru, artist Poornima Sukumar and her team have projected a tale that speaks of this much-discriminated-against section’s struggle for acceptance.

Through the concept of Navu Idivi, which means ‘they too exist’ in society and are as much a part of it as the other genders, the project is using art as a voice, and a colourful one at that. Their mural near Dhanvantri Road, magnificent in its size, is a tribute to this community that struggles to fit in, even today.

“It is a 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide painting, planned together as a team. It’s the face of a transgender with the features of a man and woman and has been symbolically depicted by a hibiscus,” explained the 28- year-old artist and documentary filmmaker. “A hibiscus has both male and female reproductive organs, implying the significance of the third gender.”

Vividly cherishing the experience, the 31-year-old Priyanka R. who is a resident of Bapuji Nagar and who is exhilarated to be a part of the initiative said, “It makes me happy. It motivates me, not just as a painter but also as a person and I think more such initiatives should be encouraged so that people become aware that we’re just like them and we belong to this society as much as they do.”

'Aravani' is a non-prejudiced name derived from Tamil Nadu, intended to do away with the innuendo associated with the word, Hijra, The Aravani Art Project, that was conceived in January this year by Poornima, allows the transgender community to create an impact on people through their artwork. She strongly believes that the the sufferings of such communities should be brought to public notice and people need to wake up to a broader mindset.

“Hearing them out is what’s necessary and the experience is endearing. It’s easy to get along with them, there’s no need to pretend. Our earlier projects involved making the transgenders a part of art through body-painting, but this time it’s them painting the city like it’s their own canvas. It has indeed become a stronger form visually. Everything is adding up to something beautiful and I would want to consistently work towards making things better for them.”

More power to you, Poornima!