16 MARCH 2017 | EXHIBITION AND TALK IN COLLABORATION WITH QUEERABAD

The Jogappas are a transgender community in Northern Karnataka and Southern Maharashtra. The collection consisted of photographs taken just before they went on stage and performed with TM Krishna; their presence on stage was received by an audience probably seeing them for the first time in such a space. This was an attempt to try and unveil social conventions, viewing the way bodies are situated in spaces, contexts and across temporalities. It was an endeavour to open up a discussion on trans bodies and their representation in photography/popular culture: How does photography challenge, take away, add to bodies it hopes to represent? How do we toe the boundaries of objectification and self-expression, representation and fetishisation? Queer photography poses a challenge on many levels to the photographer and the onlooker, where and what is the position of the photographed? These photographs tried and questioned the idea of how a self wants to present itself, through Sara Davidmann’s idea of collaborative photography and also tries to make us think: What do you see, a performer getting ready for the stage, or a trans-person getting ready for the world? The exhibition also included a live discussion on issues of trans bodies, representation, trans-erasure and queer photography.

Curated By: Prerana Geeta Manian

SOURCE: CONFLICTORIUM ARCHIVES