A deeper look at how South Asia perceives men and masculinity
As part of the Goethe-Institut’s ongoing programme ‘M3: Man, Male and Masculinity regional project’, the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Drik Picture Library has organised an art exhibition ‘Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence’, which looks at gender and patriarchy through different lenses
'Boys who spent their weekends making banana nut muffins did not, as a rule, excel in the art of hand-to-hand combat,'' wrote David Sedaris in his 2004 book of autobiographical essays 'Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim' as a demonstration of our distorted perception of masculinity.
Our perception of masculinity is strongly influenced by a set of traits, behaviours, and roles associated with men and boys. Attributes like strength, courage, independence, leadership, and assertiveness are the basic parameters of masculinity, and any aberration from it is likely to be considered shameful.
As part of the Goethe-Institut's ongoing programme 'M3: Man, Male and Masculinity regional project', the Goethe-Institut Bangladesh, in collaboration with the Drik Picture Library, has organised an art exhibition 'Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence', which looks at the various perspectives of gender and patriarchy in the South Asian landscape.
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Curated by Vidisha Fadescha, 'Let no one mistake us for the fruit of violence' is a travelling international exhibition. It critiques typecasted male representations and what is expected of men, while celebrating cross-gender affinities through collectivity, home, family, and intimacy.
The exhibition showcases five serieses of artworks and a documentary, including Redeem by Ashfika Rahman; My Home (A Celebration of Five Days): A five-day performance by Tsohil Bhatia; Famjam Excerpt by Renuka Rajiv; Letters To My Father by Sandeep Kuriakose; Dalit Masculinities by Anurag Minus Verma and Kinship by Javed Sultan.
Ashfika Rahman's 'Redeem' highlights social issues surrounding mass religious conversion among indigenous communities – such as Santal and Oraon – in the northern districts of Bangladesh. Their histories and cultures are being erased through this process, she feels.
"Unlike Hinduism, there is no caste system in Christianity, which is possibly why these communities are being drawn to the latter faith. However, it is not clear how far this conversion is fully consensual. After 1971, Bangladesh received a considerable amount of missionary funds. So these communities convert to Christianity in the hope of a life with a little financial security," explained Ashfika.
Presented in juxtaposition to textile art, Redeem is a collection of six photographs of individuals who live in these communities.
"The fabric work is basically an untranslated hymn in the native language of Santal, stitched onto the photographs. The Father of the local church had translated the hymns to Santal for the local community to use as prayers," she elaborated.
Ashfika's creative endeavours started with photography, a medium that she still utilises to research and document marginalised and oppressed groups in her homeland.
Anurag Minus Verma, in his video 'Dalit Masculinities', reflects on how casteist notions are reinforced in Indian cinema. He highlights the extremes in the depiction of Dalits in upper caste films, where they are either presented as deplorable or "larger- than-life" hyper-masculine characters.
"Masculinity is often controlled and suppressed by social influencers. In India, the Dalit men are not even allowed to dress up nicely in many cases," said Khandaker Md Mahmud, Programme Coordinator, Goethe Institute of Bangladesh.
Javed Sultan, another Indian artist, documented the 24-hour sit-ins against Citizenship Amendment Act, National Register for Citizens and National Population Register, one of the longest-running protests in India.
The photographs focused on people sharing moments of solidarity as they care for each other, support each other's basic needs, and gather and perform everyday routines and duties across protest sites.
Inaugurated on August 19, the exhibition ends today, 30 August, on the premise of Drik Gallery. The show is open for all from 3 PM to 8 PM.
