Gender Bender 2022

Gender Bender is a one-of-its-kind-annual  festival held in Bangalore, India, that showcases new works of art that re-examine and re-imagine the spectrum that is gender.

What started as a platform to display the works of the grantees, has over the last eight years, grown into a much needed and recognised space for important conversations that aim to contribute to our constantly evolving understanding of gender and its implications, including the need for intersectionality, with artists and audiences alike.

The festival showcases works created by the grantees, and also includes curated performances, panel discussions, exhibitions and workshops.

We invite applications from individuals and collectives working in the field of arts to create new and original work around the idea of gender. You are encouraged to approach this theme in a critical way, in relation to your own perspective. The artistic contributions can take any form of expression across different media - from dance to drawing, from photography to pottery, mixed media to mime, and everything in-between, so long as it is new work that can be presented, performed, screened, or exhibited to an audience. 

Gender Bender 2022 grant includes a maximum grant amount of INR 75,000 towards the creation of the work, awarded at the discretion of the panel with due reference to the proposal and budget submitted. 

An independent panel, comprising eminent individuals from various fields  shortlists the projects to be supported. This year's jury members were:  Abhishek Anicca, Sabika Abbas, Sarovar Zaidi and Siddhesh Gautam.

Gender Bender 2022 Grantees are:
Anup Let
Jafrin Akhtar
Mridul Kanti Goshami
MRS TAN
Pranami Rajbangshi
Rishabh Shetty
Revival Disability India
Swaja/Saransh
Shehzor
The Bitter Feminists (by Tej & Apu)

The projects develpoed by the grantees will be presented in Bangalore between December 6 and 11, 2022 at the Bangalore International Centre.

Gender Bender is a joint project of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and Sandbox Collective and is conceived, conceptualised, and curated by Sandbox Collective.

Previous editions:
Gender Bender 2020
Gender Bender 2019
Gender Bender 2018