For the last 10 years, Bangalore’s annual Gender Bender festival has earned a name for itself for being a vital space of dialogue and creativity, spotlighting diverse narratives, and fostering intersectionality. Evolving from a showcase for grantee projects to a celebrated cultural event, featuring curated performances, panel discussions, exhibitions, and workshops, it has been a multidisciplinary event highlighting artists and collectives bringing forth various expressions of gender. After nine successful editions, the festival is organizing a fundraiser for this year, requesting its patrons to help support the 10th edition.
This unique festival is a joint effort by the Goethe-Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore and the Sandbox Collective. One of the highlights of the Gender Bender Festival is the showcase of artworks created by ten artists who receive grants from the festival. These grants are specifically awarded to support the creation of new works that push boundaries and spark important conversations about gender. The festival not only provides a platform for these artworks but aims to empower artists to break new ground with their artistic endeavours. Alongside the grant-supported showcase, it also hosts workshops, talks, and installations that create a dialogue focused on the gender spectrum.
Last year’s grantees included artists like Inner Rhymes, a non-binary rapper, Shraddha Raj, an actor and theatremaker whose work centres around caste and gender, and Soumya Mishra, who created a podcast talking about the experiences of queer, neurodivergent and disabled folx. From a performing art collective to a publication house to painters to cooks; the festival created a wholesome curation of artists that showed us how gender identity intersects with every art form, craft, and avenue for self-expression we partake in.
With a large part of the online space, one that’s often riddled with homophobia and hate-driven narratives and trends, a festival like Gender Bender is an important step towards creating safe spaces that fight against homogeneity in the identity and expression of human beings. It's an essential endeavour for allies to invest in, in whatever way you can. Whether it's to donate to their fundraiser or nominate and share the opportunity with artists that you know are bringing attention to the dialogue around gender in their own empowering ways.
Gender Bender 2024 invites both individual artists and collectives to submit new and original work exploring the theme of gender. This open call is for innovative projects across various media – be it dance, photography, mixed media, or even pottery. The only condition is that the work must be fresh and ready for a public debut. The grantees are selected by an independent jury, featuring esteemed figures from various fields. Shortlisted projects will be announced on October 5, 2024. Selected artists will receive a grant of up to INR 75,000 to help bring their vision to life, with additional funds available for travel and accommodation.
The actual festival will take place on November 27-30, 2024 in Bangalore. Over these four days, audiences can expect to see the selected projects alongside a rich program of performances, discussions, and interactive sessions. The deadline for applications is August 31.
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