A mural painting project in Fort Kochi brings queer realities to a public space

The Hindu

14 hours ago

A large, colourful mural is taking shape on one of the walls in Fort Kochi's Poovath Street. Members of the queer community are painting their stories and lived experiences on it.
Led by Mia, a transwoman and a visual artist, the four-day mural will reflect the queer community's realities, hopes and dreams of the future. Mia held a workshop earlier in the week for the members of the queer community in Kerala, which discussed issues including that of representation.
'The narratives that emerged at the workshop will be the ones that make it to the mural,' says Mia. 'Being queer, one often has to deal with apathy, indifference and even violence. Most of us have lost homes; but we have found homes and families, too. It was among the most common narratives that emerged at the workshop,' Mia adds.
The project is a partnership between the Fearless Collective, a movement that works towards creating spaces for collective imagination, creative thinking and social discourse, and
Sahayatrika, a Thrissur-based support group for individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB).
Mia, who is working as a freelance artist in Delhi, has a fellowship from the Fearless Collective. The mural project is part of the fellowship. She decided to conduct it in her home State, to understand the current realities here and connect with trans persons and those belonging to gender minorities. Mia was chosen as the Fearless Ambassador after a mural project she did with the collective in Sri Lanka.
The idea is to work with communities and provide a platform for its members to bring their narratives to a public space. 'The mural is intended to reclaim public spaces, not only by being visible, but also by having an open space for dialogue and community engagement.'
Mia collaborated with Sahayatrika, which has been working as a helpline for the female gender assigned community and has a strong network of people from the community.
While Kerala is among the progressive states when it comes to the transgender community in India, the policies tend to remain more on paper than in practice, says Yadhav S R, advocacy co-ordinator of Sahayatrika, which has been at the forefront of crisis interventions for the community. 'Gender minorities still don't have freedom over their bodies, or freedom of expression; many of them still face familial violence and that from the larger community' says Yadhav.
The mural project will help many in expressing their trauma in a creative way. 'We do have queer creators advocating for the rights of the community through social and we are are hopeful. But we need to reclaim our space, voice and visibility in every little way we can,' Mia adds.
The mural project is not exclusive to the queer community and does not require experience with art . It welcomes anyone who wants to express themselves creatively and declare their solidarity.
The mural at Poovath Street, Fort Kochi, will be unveiled on June 8.