Gallery XXL in Mumbai, India, is currently presenting On the Cusp of the Eighth Day - Celebrating 9 years of Aravani Art Project, the first solo exhibition of the Aravani Art Project, a trans-women and cis-women led collective in India.

The show runs from January 9 – February 28, 2025, its opening coinciding with the Mumbai Gallery Weekend (January 9 – January 12).  Through a selection of canvases and photographs, On the Cusp of the Eighth Day expresses the vibrancy of the 'aravanis', a term used to reference transwomen in southern India, as well as the challenges that they face. The art exhibition is co-organised by Giulia Ambrogi, Chief Curator and Founder of St+art India Foundation, XXL Collective and Gallery XXL, along with Sarah Malik and Vidur Sethi, both curators at Gallery XXL.

The Aravani Art Project was founded in 2016, beginning informally with members of the transgender community of Bangalore coming together to make mural art. Since then, the collective has presented several works of public art across India’s major cities, including Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata. The project intersects art with activism and often undertakes outreach work with transgender communities in these cities.

Walking into Gallery XXL, one notes that the walls of the space have been painted in bright shades of pink, blue, green and more to reflect the colourful works on display. During my visit to the exhibition, there was a palpable air of joy permeating the gallery, and not much space to walk around - the gallery was packed with community members. This was not just an art show but also an occasion for Mumbai’s LGBTQ community to convene.

Many of the artworks depict the aravanis in the process of applying lipstick and kajal (eyeliner), which, in India, usually precedes a visit to a home on an auspicious occasion such as a wedding or the birth of a child. Families seek blessings from the women during these events, but it has not prevented the community from facing extreme systemic stigmatisation. In most of India, it is all but impossible for a transwoman to find gainful employment in mainstream industries or to participate in society as equals to cis-folk. As a result, many members of the community are forced into begging and unregulated sex work, which in turn leads to rampant physical violence against them.

One of the works in the show, Remembering Raji (2025) by Chandri, Prathana, Sada and Hamsa, pays tribute to a member of the community who has passed away. Another piece, Chandri Loves to Dance - Part 1 (2024) by Chandri, Shanthi, Jyothi and Prarthana, depicts its titular member dancing. There is a wealth of communal expression to be found at On the Cusp of the Eighth Day, which presents the joys and sorrows of the transwomen and renders them relatable to Indian audiences, who are typically used to viewing transgender people with apprehension. Going beyond the platform that Gallery XXL has extended to a marginalised group, the sense of relatability that On the Cusp of the Eighth Day fosters is the exhibition’s strongest achievement.

‘On the Cusp of the Eighth Day: Celebrating 9 years of Aravani Art Project’ is on at Gallery XXL from January 9 – February 28, 2025.