Aravani Art Project
Aravani Art Project is an artist collective from India led by transwomen and cis women. The name of the collective is derived from Lord Aravan, the patron god who is a significant figure for transgender communities called Alis (also Aravani in Tamil, and Hijra throughout South Asia).
With a practice based primarily in public spaces, Aravani Art Project’s mission is to bring visibility, challenge stigmatized ideals and subvert systematic discrimination perpetuated against transgender, gender non-conforming and queer individuals. The collaborative and participatory approach toward making art enables access for the community to congregate and create a space that celebrates intersectionality through visual art. It becomes a tool for expression, story telling and consciousness.
Using their work as a platform, Aravani Art Project encourages members to participate in the process of creativity and voice their opinions to be an active part of society. The visual stories that surface; of lived realities and freedom, become the voice for rights and empowerment to imagine a more colourful world.
The collective’s work of integrating contemporary public art through activism in the urban fabric has awarded them grants and fellowships from India Foundation for the Arts, Khoj International Artists' Association, Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), India Art Fair, and the 60th Biennale Arte 2024 in Venice. Their oeuvre has embraced a multitude of collaborations with for-profit and non-profit entities. They have worked with brands such as No Border Shop, SoHo House, Microsoft, JP Morgan, Levis, Goldman Sachs, Araku, among others. And some of their institutional collaborations include IIM Bangalore, RMZ Foundation, RPG Foundation, India Art Fair and Sandbox Collective.