Banu, 55, a transgender activist, always wanted to fill in the shoes of veteran actor Jayamalini. With Truth Dream, a photo exhibition, that was held at the Bangalore International Centre, recently, her dream to personify the actor has come true. Thanks to Bengaluru-based non-governmental organisation, Payana, and media and arts’ collective, Maraa, which are collaborating to introduce a photo exhibition that celebrates beauty, aging and fantasy among sexual minorities.
The project features 12 friends from the minority community, including transwomen, transmen, kothi, and gender non-conforming individuals. The project aims to break the stereotypical narrative around these communities that are usually associated with odd jobs like sex work and begging and provides a platform to bring their dreams to the limelight.
According to Chandni, founder and member of Payana, which upholds the rights of sexual minorities, the 12 participants are all aged above 50. She believes that many youngsters belonging to these communities are now getting the scope to express themselves in various stages. “These 12 friends have been associated with me for a long time. When I was a boy, I always wanted to dress like my mother or sister. Gradually, I was also inspired by the fashion styles of many heroines in movies. Similarly, this project aims to fulfil the fantasy dreams of these 12 participants, where they can personify the characters or role models that they always dreamt of,” says Chandni, a transgender activist.
From sporting the costumes of goddesses to queens and cabaret dancers, participants were photographed in different styles. Since this is also the first time that they are exposed to lights, green screens and cameras, feeling comfortable in front of the camera was challenging. “We organised the photoshoot two months ago. Initially it was challenging for them to face the camera because they are not used to such filmy settings. However, I encouraged them to be themselves and act as they wish,” says Chandni. The portraits of these participants was displayed in black and white and colour formats during the exhibition.
According to Angarika G, who is part of Maraa, who curated the exhibition, the project is a subtle – yet – an artistic response to the stigma attached to around sexual minorities who subject to discrimination, abuse, and violence. “The idea is to transform the experience of beauty and fantasy once you are above a certain age. Since these are women from the working class, reaching 50 is very challenging because they are exposed to high levels of violence. We wanted to counter them by celebrating aging and beauty through this photo exhibition,” says Angarika.