Prithvi Theatre, Juhu; Ravindra Natya Mandir, Prabha Devi; Retreat House, Bandra
Curated by Madhusree Dutta
Expression was the formal beginning of Majlis Culture Centre.
It was a conglomeration of a large number of women artists, academic and
activists around a festival of plays, art show, book bazaar and a
symposium. It was the first time that such a confident and articulate
assertion and declaration of women’s art was made in the context of Indian
feminisms. Ranging from debate on ‘what is women’s art’ to ‘can there be
feminist avant garde’; from felicitating the first generation of
professional actresses in modern theatre to initiating inter-disciplinary
dialogues; from activist street theatre to discursive dance performance –
the four day festival took place in various sites, both literally and
conceptually, across the city.
The year 1990 was crucial. The new millennium was only a few years away, and the forms and languages of feminists art practices had already attained certain depth and volume. A celebration and an audit was essential. And out of that process Majlis Culture Centre was born.
Most of the photos of Expression was by Rajneesh Konwilkar.
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