From Silence to Canvas: The Role of Artivism in Transforming Gender and Sexuality Norms

Abstract

AbstractThis study delves into the uncharted scholarly intersection of art, LGBTQ + advocacy, and critical consciousness in India, to survey the current state of LGBTQ + artivism and explore how various artistic modalities operate their potential to transform gender and sexuality norms. It identifies LGBTQ + artivism as functioning primarily in two modes: the externalization of internal psychic states and the collective ingroup-outgroup engagement. The study observes that the transformative impacts of LGBTQ + artivism are often transient and rooted in affective responses; however, as possessing the potential to challenge normative ideologies and influence critical consciousness. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s framework, the study highlights that artivists function as ‘cultural intermediaries,’ employing various modalities that elicit different capacities for public involvement. Artworks that externalize internal psychic states, through mediums such as acrylic paintings and digital illustrations, are seen to facilitate the personal agency of LGBTQ + artists through the reimagination of the self amid societal discrimination of non-normativity. Additionally, collective and participatory artivism utilizes public platforms to foster dialogues that problematize the ‘us versus them’ dichotomy, both within and outside digital spaces. Through the lens of Bourdieu, the study also identifies digital LGBTQ + platforms as sites of ‘cultural consecration,’ offering inclusive alternatives to traditional gatekeeping in art production and dissemination.