As women, queer and trans folks, we know just how we want to lead our lives, define ourselves, express our desires, choose our careers, own our words, be free, don’t we? So then, are gender, patriarchy, discrimination, oppression and inequality just bogeys of our times - disconnected and distanced from us.?  We are encircled by rules in the name of society, family, morality and nation. Rules that box us in. Except that, we almost never really fit into those boxes, do we? That’s the tight fist of patriarchy at work, compounding the vulnerabilities created by our caste, class, race, religion, work, dis/ability and sexual orientation, and so on.

 

Lives, as we lead them, are complex. Which is why we need spaces where we can celebrate the diversities of our beings, acknowledge our varied lived experiences, and open up new possibilities to question and resist.

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gFest, reFrame’s travelling festival of gender and the arts is an attempt to create just such a space, for joyful celebration and invigorating deliberations on our gendered lives through diverse forms of art. After its inaugural edition in Delhi, gFest has been to Mumbai, Kochi, and Gurugram. gFest Gurugram showcased a range of artworks, including films, performances, mixed media installations, digital art, an interactive site and photography along with live performances, screenings of documentary films, a feature film, and dedicated sessions and workshops for students. While each work and artist featured represented an individual voice and expression, the Festival highlighted interconnected themes that explored gender, body politics, identity, sexuality, power, stereotypes, discrimination, exclusion, violence and labour. 

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Additional Technical Support: Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Delhi