Vivel #AbSamjhautaNahin is proud to present #VoiceOfArt -a campaign that aims to bring to life the numerous glass ceilings and gender stereotypes people have to shatter to be truly comfortable in their own skin through art. The Alipore Post collaborated with Vivel and invited 10 artists to create artworks about being comfortable with oneself and celebrate the individuality of every person:
Fiercely calm in my own skin by Ria Mohta
“Women go through a lot because of their body shape and skin colour. Of how much role melanin has played in their body or how ideal the inches and angles need to be.
While we have always been labelled to be loving, motherly, poised and calm, we have a fierce power within ourselves that can take hold when ignited as depicted by the Sleeping tiger. The illustration also looks beyond skin colour hence, the lady is pink in to not give preference to a specific skin tone.”
- Ria Mohta
Love to Self by Shikhar Gaur
“Self,
Self Discovery,
Self Acceptance,
Self Representation,
Self Love.
Representing people from varied gender identities breaking the gender roles expected out of them by society, the illustration revolves around the ideas of self discovery, self acceptance, self representation and overall, love shared after self love.”
-Shikhar Gaur
Look at me by Smriti Lamech / The Smritsonian
This installation depicts an award-winning ballerina with a heart full of dreams and currently, a head of wild purple hair. An above the knee amputee, she’s seen in her bedroom, amongst her medals and muses. Her prosthetics are just a part of her life and she is comfortable in her own skin. She is also proud of how much her body can do, rather than bogged down by the few that it can’t.
This rag doll is designed and created by The Smritsonian, the brain child of Smriti Lamech @smritilamech. The Smritsonian works with a women’s sewing self help group to create handcrafted products, feminist ragdolls being one of them.
Freedom in Pink and Blue by Gokul G Prasad
“We have become so binary in the case of gender - we separate the kind of activities, clothes they wear and the colours of clothes worn by each gender. I imagine a world where a people of any gender can just be themselves. The various shades of blue, pink and purple show the fluidity of gender.”
- Gokul G Prasad
Loving ourselves is the first step towards collective growth by Sahana Subramanian
“When we love and respect each other's bodies, we grow together as women. When we are supportive of each other's journeys with our bodies- accepting and loving- we move forward and grow together as individuals. There is no gender equality without equality of all bodies. Feminism is about every-BODY and no one gets left behind in our fight for equality.”
- Sahana Subramanian
She's on her way by Anupama / Hoopables
All these labels imposed on her, so much that she had almost begun to believe them. She has had enough. She has risen above. She is leading the way. Nothing can stop her now.
Fly High by Amar Chaurasia
The illustration signifies everyday challenges faced by a woman in a so-called ideal society. Women are expected to look beautiful, fit, and be mature alongside society's prying eyes. More power to all the women who are looking to break with tradition, empower others and shatter stereotypes. They should move and groove without boundaries, flow freely like the waves of the ocean and roller skate their way to glory.
She - The Carpenter by Padma / The Plain Papers Page
Name any profession and we mostly we picture a man. Slowly, we are starting to see women very passionately take up careers without thinking only men can do it. One such profession is carpentry. Like how you see a man in his carpentry work attire and don’t judge him but appreciate his work, here she is comfortable in her skin and her work attire, so value her craftsmanship and never judge her career choice.
The clock is not ticking by Freeda Lazar / Freddie's Baking Studio
“As women, we are always told that the clock is ticking: get married early or you’ll be unloved, have babies soon or you ll never be complete, can't wear those clothes after a certain age, buy a house before you are forty, don't start a new business so late in life... the list goes on.
It's always too late or too early to do anything according to the timer that society has set for you. And if you snooze, society considers you to be a wallflower, incomplete, unsuccessful or just a disappointment to their idea of you.
It's time to stop living your life by society's timeline and live life at your own pace.
Every person is different and the path each takes will have its own milestones. Do the things that make you happy, at your own pace - without worrying about gender, age and societal pressures. The clock is not ticking. Matter of fact, there is no clock. There is only you and everything you want to do.”
-Freeda Lazar
Breaking the Ice Ceiling by Disha Chauhan
“Gender should not define our career choices. Women are breaking all stereotypes and showing their grit, creativity, intelligence in the harshest of conditions. Be it in the creeks of Antarctica, deep dark forests or the depths of the sea, they are ready to explore new terrains and challenges. Sunburns, scratches, bone chilling cold...nothing can stop them once they are comfortable in their skin.
This artwork represents all the women who are not limited by roles defined by society. It is a representation of one such career choice - an Adventure Photographer, a profession that has been dominated by males so far but is now ruled by women who are one with nature.”
-Disha Chauhan