I grew up with the practice of visiting neighbours on the regular. My family and I would often drop by their friends' solely for the purpose of catching up over snacks and tea. The conversations revolved around what everyone was up to, recent festivals, home projects about a new garden or a shed in the backyard, and my time at school. Sometimes the grown ups would indulge in gossip about the local drama. And that would be my cue to watch TV in the other room. Apart from the really warm and affectionate times at their place, this is something that bothers me to this day. I'd love for a place to go where you can be a part of the community without getting into each other's business.
Neighbour, I believe, is one of those places. It exudes the nostalgic warmth of a traditional house that you swear could your neighbourhood aunty's. Only here, the conversations are about art, culture, creative expression and shared passions. Neighbour is relatively new, but in the short span of a few months, it has already established itself as a watering hole for artists, thinkers, and leaders that values creativity as much as camaraderie.
Its inaugural exhibition, 'You Cannot Act Upon What You Cannot See', set the tone for what this space stands for. Centered around the Hema Committee Report, an investigation into gender inequities in Malayalam cinema, the exhibition dug deep into the erasures, silences, and violences women in the industry have faced for decades.
Neighbour consistently hosts artist talks that open new lines of discourse. Anjana Dev’s Vaikitentha Parupady examined gendered access to public and private spaces, questioning why leisure in Kerala often seems reserved for men. Her work, 'Dear Amma' took a more intimate turn, delving into the life of her mother, a health worker, to unpack the layered expectations society places on women. Poet Aleena, meanwhile, brought 'Verses & Voices' to the space and read from 'Silk Route', blending mythology, horror, and caste politics into a poetic exploration of identity and language.
The 'Bridging the Gap' workshop, led by psychologist Udayan Philip, asked attendees to interrogate their own biases and privilege, using interactive exercises to unpack how identity shapes our relationships and worldviews. It wasn’t about easy answers but about learning to sit with uncomfortable questions. Photography found its own place at Neighbour. Sina Niemeyer, known for her work on patriarchal violence, hosted both an artist talk and a portfolio review session, where four photographers engaged in an open-ended discussion about their work, challenging the way images are framed and consumed.
Once Saturday afternoon, the space celebrated the opening of neighbour terrace with books and zine, a writing session, spoken word, food and music by Kerala-based band Eettillam. And recently, they held a screening of 'Molanji', a Malayalam short film by Mahesh Madhu that explores the complexities of familial bonds with a post-screening Q&A with the filmmaker lending insight into his commitment to telling stories that honour the women who shaped him.
A living, breathing ecosystem of critical engagement and collective imagining, neighbour is leading a meaningful exploration of everything that matters to us as humans. With every thoughtfully curated event, it is slowly building a community that engages with art not just as a form of expression, but as a means of questioning, remembering, and reimagining.
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