Monisha Ajgaonkar's Sensitive Photo Story on the Coming Out of a Transgender

An image from Monisha Ajgaonkar's new photo series "Blossom," on the coming out of a transgender. Image courtesy: Monisha Ajgaonkar.

It isn't often that one comes across a subject that floors you instantly. When I received a detailed mail from Monisha Ajgaonkar's rep on her new photo series, "Blossom," I knew there was a sensitive and a beautiful story waiting to be explored.
          Monisha is not an unfamiliar name in the wedding photography circles of Mumbai. She is also an LGBTQ activist who doesn't mince words when talking about this subject, but does it with great panache, as I discovered while speaking to her over phone on "Blossom." She says she has her hands full at any time of the year with wedding photography, but once annually, she does take some time off commercial work to create something straight out of heart, something that satisfies the creative individual inside her.
           "Blossom" is the result of her creative escapade from commercial photography this year. She undertook it in the month of June, the universal Pride Month, which incidentally was also the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in the US that gave birth to the Pride Movement. Want to know more about Stonewall Riots and the Pride Movement? Wikipedia has it all but one of the most easy to understand write-ups is on Encyclopaedia Britannica at this link.
          What's outstanding about "Blossom" is that it is a lovely unravelling of the process of coming out of a transgender, posed by Monisha's friend and an LGBTQ activist and Mr India Gay 2014 Sushant Divgikar (in the picture above).
            Please check out my interview with Monisha at www.blouinartinfo.com here.
Do check out the slideshow too as the whole series so beautifully reveals the gradual coming out of a transgender. Provocation is not always needed to underscore an important message.

Above and Below: Other images from "Blossom." Images courtesy: Monisha Ajgaonkar

That's Monisha. Image courtesy: Monisha Ajgaonkar

Valay Shende's Slice-of-Life Sculptures: True Spirit of Bombay

"Dabbawala," from Valay Shende's series of works celebrating Mumbai, titled "Spirit of Bombay" Image courtesy: Valay Shende

I recently had a wonderful opportunity to interview Mumbai-based Valay Shende. I've been an admirer of his art ever since I had seen images of his works many years ago. The first time I saw a Valay Shende sculpture in person was a few years ago at the India Art Fair. It was "Virar Local," a life-size sculpture made of stainless steel discs, depicting commuters hanging by an imaginary pole on the well-known local train of Mumbai.

"Virar Local" is part of Shende's most famous series, "Spirit of Bombay." As is obvious, it is a creative take on the maximum city's sprightly spirit, and "Dabbawala" sculptures (created in many versions) are some of the most loved.

The biggest "Dabbawala" rendition is outside the Haji Ali crossing in Mumbai, and anybody passing the street cannot miss it whatsoever. 

Right now, six works from the "Spirit of Bombay" series are on display at the Palladium mall in Mumbai.  

"Virar Local," from the series "Spirit of Bombay." Image courtesy: Valay Shende

It's not just the subject matter of Shende's life-size works that has a stunning impact, it's also the technique that he employs to create these works that dazzles — quite literally tonnes of small stainless steel discs are soldered together to create these works. As the works are hollow, it becomes relatively easier to transport these to venues all over the world — of course, only relatively easy when compared to a similar-sized bronze work. I'm told the work titled "Transit (Truck)" took almost a year to assemble.

Valay Shende with his installation, "Transit (Truck)" that is a comment on the immigrant workers coming to Mumbai daily in big numbers to build their lives. Image courtesy: Valay Shende


In my interview with Shende for Blouin Artinfo, he speaks about his works, his technique and how he strives to give creative expression to India's socio-political realities through his art. Check out the interview here: https://in.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/3704070/valay-shendes-spirit-of-bombay-at-the-palladium-mumbai 

                  
                       A glittering "Buffalo" from the same series. Image courtesy: Valay Shende