ven through the haze of shimmering heat and thick Delhi dust, the mural is impossible to miss. Pinks, blues, greens and yellows pop off the wall, coming together to form a utopian scene of equality, and splashed across the middle is emblazoned a slogan designed to challenge India’s male-dominated society. “The future is femme,” it declares.
“In this mural we wanted to celebrate the intersectionality and inclusivity that has always existed within the trans community but is rarely visible in our society,” said Poornima Sukumar, who founded the collective in 2016.Photograph: Indranil Mukherjee/AFP/Getty Images For Mayuri Pujari, who has been part of the collective since 2017, the impact of her involvement has been profound. “The visibility is empowering,” she said. “People see the trans community as professionals making art, not just begging on the roads.”
“A lot of our artists have had regional appeal for a while but the narrative is shifting and now they are in demand internationally,” said Asokan. Yet the shifts within the market are not solely within the sphere of Indian modern and contemporary art. For the first time, this year’s art fair is showcasing rare items of Indian folk art, some dating back 100 years, illustrating changing perceptions towards older indigenous art within the Indian market, which has always been focused on the modern and contemporary.
ah Christ. Now Indian art is going to be as boring and trite as western art.
want to see me without a bra?