A Group Show on Experiences & Expressions of Masculine & Feminine

Mirrors is a creative fellowship encouraging an artistic exploration of masculinities. The inspiration for the fellowship emerged from ‘(De)constructions of Masculinities’, a research study which undertook a critical review of approaches to programming on masculinity within the development sector.

The reflections and challenges shared by various civil society organizations/ unions around masculinity made us feel that there was a need for a more expansive understanding of masculinity, which needs to move beyond merely, reforming the behaviours of boys and men. To this end, we invited 12 individuals from different parts of the country to produce daily ethnographies on how they perceive masculinity in and around them. Given the diversity of social locations, their writings reveal the way in which masculinity is shaped by social differences of caste, gender, sexuality, religion, class and so on. The study made us realise that we have only scratched the surface when it comes to engaging with the vast, often messy terrain, of what constitutes masculinity and femininity.

We believe artistic practice can offer a way of expressing the silences, frictions, contradictions, suppressions and desires that shape this experience. We put out an open call for applications and received an overwhelming response, across geographies, language, and socio-economic locations. The works you see featured are by the 12 fellows who were selected under the fellowship.