June 2022                                                      WORKSHOP 1

In June 2022,  a mixed group consisting of a Leader and Facilitator, Co-founder and social workers from Kranti, two socially conscious artists and a couple of volunteers came together with the sex workers of Kamathipura, to move together, opening up mental spaces through creative theatre exercises, to create, to express themselves through paint and clay. It was an all-women closed workshop, with larger than life canvases and kilos of clay and a whole lot of laughter and creative exploration. 

We created large format canvases with acrylic pigments and water, and the artworks bear witness to the wonderful contemporary reality of a collective experience, forever preserved. The clay artworks created by them were indicative of their life experiences, and every bit the truth of their collective reality. It was a magical experience for all women, exploring together out physical and mental spaces, resulting, albeit for a small while, in a revelatory moment of collective healing and sisterhood.

We realised that we have hit the tip of the iceberg with this workshop, validated by the exhibition we conducted after the closed workshop, and hearing feedback from the community as well as  the larger audience. As a result of this exploration, the Haan, Hum Collective was formed, in order to commit to this long and consistent art exploration journey with the sex worker community of Kamatipura.