Over the years,
Gender Bender has transformed to more than a showcase festival, and has become a recognised space for conversations on gender with artists and audiences alike. This year, the Festival gets bigger and better, with a series of discussions featuring filmmakers and writers, performances by a stand-up comedian and a male belly dancer, in addition to the exhibition of the ten grantee projects that have been selected this year.
SCHEDULE
August 21
Who You Callin' A Lady? | 7.30 p.m.
Gender Bender 2019 will kick off through an evening with stand-up comedian Vasu Primlani. Vasu Primlani will explore gender in comedy format through her personal experiences. As Pat Parker once said, my lady ain't no lady. Which is fine by me, 'cause I ain't no gentleman.
August 22
Women in Comics: A Talk by Kadak Collective | 6.00 p.m.
Ever thought about how women are represented (or not) in comics? Popular fiction, especially comics, has a big role to play in how we see ourselves portrayed. This session looks at the representation of women and marginalised genders in comics in India and the world - and talks about women, queer, non-binary characters as well as creators.
In Search of Umrao: Exploring Desires and Destinies | 7.30 p.m.
A conversation between Arundhati Ghosh, Executive Director, India Foundation for the Arts and Saba Dewan, filmmaker and writer. The conversation will trace Saba Dewan's personal journey, artistic practice and the release of her recent book Tawaifnama.
August 23
Zine Workshop with Kadak Collective & Sanitary Panels | 11.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Well-known artists’ collective Kadak will introduce participants to the world of zine making. Zines represent an informal/guerrilla mode of publishing which is geared towards accessibility, independent voice and DIY culture.
Talk on Feminist Literature | 6.00 p.m.
Nisha Susan, writer, journalist and editor of feminist website The Ladies Finger will talk about life-changing books, magazines, stories and journeys.
Shuddh Digital Romance | 7.30 p.m.
Love and Dating have been redefined by new-age apps: How has the advent of Tinder, Grindr, etc changed intimacy? A conversation between filmmaker and writer Paromita Vohra, Brand Strategy and Communications Manager at Tinder, Rashi Wadhera and Tejas AP, Head of Research Communications at Azim Premji University.
Raqs-e-Bender: An Evening of Fluid Movement with Eshan Hilal | 9.00 p.m.
Raqs-e-Bender attempts to show that dance is beyond gender. ‘Raqs’ means dance and ‘bender’ refers to a person who bends the rules or norms of society. This truly defines Eshan Hilal, who is a professional male belly dancer, fashion designer and gender-fluid fashion model.
August 24
Zine Workshop with Kadak Collective & Sanitary Panels | 11.00 a.m. – 5.00 p.m.
Well-known artists’ collective Kadak will introduce participants to the world of zine making. Zines represent an informal/guerrilla mode of publishing which is geared towards accessibility, independent voice and DIY culture.
Talk on Queer Literature | 6.00 p.m.
Kavya Murthy, writer, editor and book curator for Champaca Bookstore, discusses the influence of queer literature.
Movie Screening: Body Electric | 7.30 p.m.
Brazil | 1 hr. 34 min. | Directed by Marcelo Caetano | Portugese (with English sub-titles)
Body Electric is a boudoir film. In each bed that Elias lies down on, a new universe opens up from the narratives of the characters. Bodies embracing and caressing each other, voices that speak softly and quietly, lovers who tell about their encounters, sexual adventures, dreams.
CURATED EXHIBITIONS AND DISPLAYS
August 22 - 24 | 12:00 p.m. onwards
Kadak Zine Corner
A small selection of Kadak zines will be housed in the activity corner, for reading. It will also serve as reference material for the participants of the workshop conducted by Kadak Collective.
Exhibition
We invited artists from across the world to send in artworks related to gender. Our open call resulted in a surge of entries from Mexico to Mumbai. These artworks from around the world will be on display as a pasteup wall at this year’s festival.
Sister Library
Sister Library is a travelling library powered by female excellence and supported by the Inlaks Fine Art Award 2018. This library holds hundreds of works of women writers, artists and zine makers. The intent is not only to facilitate reading of female authors but also to create a safe and non-judgmental space for people to come together and explore the pleasure of reading and creating. Founder: Aqui Thami.
Queer Library
Where are all the queers? We do not yet have enough literature of ourselves. And in the spaces where it exists not everyone knows how to access it. This Library is envisaged as a public arts project, a comfortable, safe and welcoming space for community, allies and friends to gather amidst books. Facilitator: Rohini Venkatesh Malur.
ManiFest, by Indu Antony
Queer or straight, women perform their femaleness both within and against societal gender rules that dictate what women should be. ManiFest is the story of how thirteen queer women sneaked out of their female bodies. They dreamed drag to bend gender.
Indu Antony (born 1982) was raised in Dubai in a conservative Indian family originally hailing from Kerala, India. She overcame many deep-rooted social mindsets to eventually pursue her own form of expression.
Gender Bender is a joint project of the
Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan and
Sandbox Collective. The project is conceived, conceptualised, and curated by Sandbox Collective.
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