artSPEAK | The Angelcopiers
TalkAs part of the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF) artSPEAK series, Malcolm Hutcheson and prominent activists from the Hijra community, Jannat, Neeli Rana, Gogi Jee and Lucky, were invited to speak at the Olo Junction.
Through discussions centered on Malcolm’s portrait series of the Hijra community and Teesri Dhun, a documentary play organized by Olomopolo and the community itself, issues surrounding art and representation were thoroughly explored, in relation to power politics.
Teesri Dhun was organized by Olomopolo as a platform to showcase the talents of the transgender community, alongside rooted and real representation of their stories. Working with the Khawaja Sara Society, the theatre piece highlighted their performance practices, history, criminalization and contemporary struggles in finding a third space within a polarized society. This project was staged from March19-21, 2015 in Lahore.
Malcolm Hutcheson is a photographer current working and living in Lahore. He states that ‘I am documenting the lives of minority communities. I am also working on photographs to promote greater understanding of the environmental problems caused by under investment in infrastructure. Along with the recording of evidential material of modern society’s problems, which I see as directly relating to the power structures that engender and promote inequality, I am concerned with the various forms the “document” can take and their aesthetic potential.’
Jannat, Neeli Rana, Gogi Jee and Lucky are activists engaged in the struggle for transgender rights and prominent members of the Khawaja Sara Society, creating opportunities for transgender members of the community in the arts and otherwise.
The artSPEAK talks are facilitated by the Lahore Biennale Foundation (LBF).