Transgender artists get platform to showcase talent at Mahakumbh
Art pieces created on Sangam banks set to be showcased in Kinnar Akhada camp and also across country
Often sidelined and struggling to find platforms to showcase their creativity, dozens of transgender artists are set to showcase pieces of art and craft created by them in an exhibition at the camp of Kinnar Akhada, a monastic order of transgender sadhus, located in sector 16 of the Mahakumbh-2025 mela area.
Here visitors including pilgrims, tourists and even sadhus will be able to explore and purchase handmade items, including jewellery, art pieces, textiles and paintings, that reflect the cultural heritage of the Kinnar community.
The exhibition, to be organised under the aegis of Kinnar Akhada head Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, will be offering a platform for transgender artists to showcase their talent and for visitors to support and appreciate their work.
A few non-transgender artists too have presented their works, albeit on topics related to the trans community, said the curator of the exhibition and an artist from Delhi Deepak Bhadoriya.
Around four dozen artists from across India will showcase their works in this 10-day exhibition that would kick-start on February 11.
“The art pieces that would be on display and sale have been created right here on the banks of Sangam by the artists during an Art Residency where they resided and made their art pieces under an initiative organised at the Kinnar Akhada camp from January 14 to February 10. “A total of 15 sculptures and over 200 paintings among other pieces would be on display during the exhibition. Post Mahakumbh, we will then organise exhibition of these works of art across the country including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai among other cities,” shared Deepak.
Mohul Sharma, a trans painter from Delhi, shared that the art residency was an exciting opportunity wherein he got a chance to interact and create artworks in collaboration with other artists like him. My three paintings would be on display here, he said.
Likewise, Rishi, a transgender artist from Nashik too has created three paintings during the art residency initiative here and would soon have his works on display at the exhibition.
Interestingly, the art residency attracted noted personalities like Bhavana Pandey, wife of actor Chunky Pandey and mother of actress Ananya Pandey from Mumbai and Svetha Yallapragada Rao aka Raja Kumari, the noted American rapper, songwriter and singer from California besides Bollywood actress Kubra Sait of sacred Games fame among others.