INFLECTION OF IDENTITIES

An exhibition by the Aravani Art Project shines a light on the trials and triumphs of India's trans community

- Priya Pathiyan

India's transgender community has had a different trajectory from trans people across the globe. While the latter struggled to assert identity and find community, in India, the challenge has been to break the negative shackles of their identity and celebrate the community in a new light. The Aravani Art Project, a trans and cis women art collective started by Bengaluru-based Poornima Sukumar in 2016, has sown the seeds for this and blossomed into a meaningful movement over the last nine years.