Artist Shilo Shiv Suleman On Her Initiative 'Fearless Collective', Travel Experiences, And More

Committed to making public spaces more inclusive, beautiful, and joyful, artist Shilo Shiv Suleman and her team at Fearless Collective completed a three-city tour of Lucknow, Delhi, and Jaipur in December 2020. The love and experiences they gathered during their tour have been an antidote to the fear that had locked them into isolation earlier that year.

We caught up with Shilo Shiv Suleman to learn about her initiative, art, travel experiences, and much more. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Women’s experiences of exploring and travelling are radically different from men’s. How have you experienced this both in your personal travels and in the people you have met while doing projects like these?

I’ve always said it’s high time that women go out onto the streets, reclaim their public space, and represent their own stories fearlessly. In general, India needs more women artists on the streets to foster critical social justice conversations with marginalised communities and transform corners of fear and trauma into canvases of beautiful art. I have worked extensively with women protesting gender-based violence in South Asia through murals that are an amalgamation of performing and visual arts, as well as activism.

Tell us about your recent travels.

The experience was enthralling and enchanting, especially as we were travelling after months. The women and men who came out to support our dialogue were absolutely marvellous. I am proud to have met such amazing people.

What were some of the themes you used in your artwork during this tour? What was the idea behind choosing these themes?

We started off in Lucknow, the home city of our collaborator, Urdu poetess and activist Sabika Abbas Naqvi. As the country was reeling from the nightmarish news of the brutal gang rape of a Dalit woman in Hathras, we chose to speak about how women want to be touched. In a world where there is a constant focus on “bad touch,” we reclaimed our potent pleasure with a group of Muslim women from the city.

Our work here was an exploration of female desire, which we painted into form and glittering alphabets at one of the busiest intersections in the old city, infamously unsafe for women. We entered this space with our brushes, wearing our hearts on our sleeves, ready to co-create magic. Our mural portrays two women holding each other—fierce and fearless—speaking the affirmation. From here, the Fearless team drove to Delhi, where, in partnership with Chintan (an Environmental Research and Action Group), we worked with a group of Dalit and Muslim women involved in waste-picking and segregation.

Our workshop here focused on emotional, social, and environmental ecosystems, highlighting how closely interconnected these aspects are. The women spoke about how everything has the potential to turn into something else and that, in a larger whole, every small part is essential. These women are at the forefront of the plastic pollution crisis. They set out every morning before the sun is up to collect, segregate, and recycle the waste we thoughtlessly dispose of—waste that would otherwise go straight into landfills. Our mural on Jor Bagh Road (right beside the Environmental Ministry) is painted in solidarity with and in recognition of their lives, labour, and dignity.

Our last stop was Jaipur, where we spoke to members of the queer community about making space for a spectrum of masculinities in a deeply patriarchal society. We took a deep, long look with straight, cis, and queer men at the allowance for vulnerability and the expression of tenderness. We asked them how they wanted to touch their lovers and were answered, “with kindness and respect,” “in a way that they feel comfortable,” and “in a long embrace.”

Our intention here was to gather these expressions of softness and press them into a pink wall in the city. We collaborated with the neighbourhood’s traditional alfresco painters, a local photographer, and called in the policemen from across the street, along with friends who danced life into this space. Our mural here stands as a tribute to queer love.

What was it like travelling during a pandemic?

In the last few months, the world itself contracted, our borders shut, and we enclosed ourselves in our homes, stepping away from the streets. This has been a time of deep introspection, but also a time of unprecedented fear. As the world begins to expand again, Fearless asks if the world we re-emerge into can be more inclusive—for women and those at the margins. Can we be more empathetic? Can we define the “new normal” as a softer, kinder, and more loving world?

This was the first time after the lockdown that Fearless was back on to the streets to paint and we are doing this with the greatest care and consideration given the unprecedented circumstances.

We will be practising all the safety measures stipulated by the WHO and local healthcare workers. The number of participants in each workshop will remain very limited, and all activities will be conducted in large open spaces, maintaining social distancing guidelines.

Our own team will remain constant (2–3 people), travelling by road to reduce the risks associated with shared transport, and we will be tested every time we move to a new city. It was incredibly affirming to be back out on the streets. We had to be especially careful and take the necessary precautions so as not to put the communities we were working with at risk. However, doing this allowed us to carry out the work we know we are meant to do.

Tell us about some of the people you met on your recent travels.

In Lucknow, we were hosted by Sabika Abbas Naqvi, a poet and activist who is a force of nature. Through her, we explored the most intimate parts of the old city (where she grew up) and connected with a group of young women who joined us in painting every day. None of the girls had ever climbed scaffolding before, and together we breathed life into this wall, discussing our fears, dreams, and desires. By the end of the project, we were like family.

Many places abroad now offer detailed street art tours of cities. What do you think about that, and could this be something we could start here?

Delhi and Bombay already have a few street art tours. Of course, this is a wonderful initiative for those who set out with the focused intention to view street art. However, the intention of our work is to make art and beauty as accessible as possible, especially for the communities we work with. You don’t have to sign up for a paid tour to see the work we put out on the streets. It exists publicly, to be enjoyed and appreciated by all.

Note: This is an old interview that has been republished for your reading.