Artist Talk: Tejal Shah at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art Forum

In conjunction with the exhibition Global Feminisms, feminist artists from more than fifty countries discussed or performed their works in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art Forum. These artist talks took place during the Center’s opening weekend March 23-25, 2007. Video courtesy of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation.

Tejal Shah, India

Indian visula artist and queer activist Tejal Shah talks about her experimental video installation: What are you? This queer art project deals with the otherness being experienced by the queer, transgendered and transexual community in India. The Hijras (transgender/eunuchs) of India are being treated as ambiguous in-human beings, like an object or an animal, and their lifes as sex workers (this is the only profession which is open to them) make them seem even more queer to the ordinary Indians.

I saw Tejal’s video installation live at the group show Lost and Found – Queerrying the Archive, at Nikolaj Copenhagen, 2009 and I am happy that the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation has documented and shared this artist inspiring talk by Tejal Shah, which has made me appreciate her work even more.

Related Link
Tejal Shah’s webpage