The narrow lanes of Fort Kochi are home to many treasures, special spaces. One such gem is the recently inaugurated Ma Joie, said to be the world’s first-ever art gallery dedicated to mouth and foot artists. Upon entering, a canvas etched in black and white welcomes visitors. A sense of patriotism is visible in the hidden layers of the frame.
‘Paralysed from the neck down due to muscular dystrophy’ reads the note beside, explaining the extraordinary story behind each stroke. Similar notes like ‘Born without arms’, ‘Lost arms in a train accident’, and ‘Paralysis of all four limbs from spinal injury’ accompanies each masterful frame.
At the centre, four mouth and foot artists are at work. In a wheelchair, Sunitha Tripanikkara, afflicted with muscular dystrophy, is holding a paintbrush with her mouth. She dabs a little water onto the colours on the canvas to get the shades of the Mahabali right.
“I have done over 5,000 paintings so far. My physical disability progressed with time and it was my brother Ganesh Kumar, an artist, who motivated me to use my mouth to paint. He is polio-affected and has been painting using his mouth since childhood,” she says.
Charcoal is the preferred medium of 28-year-old Vyshakh Ettukudukka. He grips a pencil between his toes to etch an image of a woman on the road to freedom. “I often see my sisters write. That’s when I tried writing and drawing using my feet,” says Vyshakh. His three works are displayed in the gallery.
“It’s not difficult for us to draw. However, the audience looks at our works with sympathy. None of us need that. Just accept us as artists,” he says. Rajasthan native Saraswathi Sharma and Palakkad-based Pranav Alathur are giving finishing touches to their works, a landscape and portrait. “Earlier art was just a hobby, now I want to pursue it as a career,” Saraswathi smiles.
Pranav prefers the art studios for his creative pursuits. “Instead of working in the cramped spaces in our house, such spaces help us work better. Ma Joie welcomes us with a disabled-friendly space. I hope other places also offer it,” Pranav says.
The gallery is the brainchild of the Mouth and Foot Painters Association (MFPA). Founded in 1957 by polio-stricken artist Arnulf Erich Stregmann, the international organisation now has 11 members from Kerala, 36 from other parts of India, and over 750 from across 74 countries.
Ma Joie also houses a fashion lineup ‘Doue’. Colourful, artistically crafted wearables with prints drawn by the MFPA artists adorn the section. Visitors can buy artworks and wearables from the gallery.
“Though MFPA is spread across the globe, the concept of an art gallery never occurred before. Ma Joie also offers residency for members and people accompanying them,” says Ayswarya Pillai, artist coordinator of MFPA India. “The initiative echoes the goal of the organisation — not charity but self-sustenance through the sale of artworks.”