We speak to curator Vikrant Dhote
Vikrant Dhote is one of the people behind Outrageous! a special project aiming to facilitate art and general creative work from LGBTQ Asian people.
Hi Vikrant…firstly, tell us a bit about the Outrageous! arts project. It’s the first UK commission specifically for queer Asians, with five participants winning a £500 commission to create work.
Hi Vikrant…firstly, tell us a bit about the project.
Outrageous! is a performance commission for LGBTQ Asian people in the UK to create new work. We sent out a call for proposals on the theme of “Legitimate Love” and artists interpreted the theme on their own terms. We’ve commissioned 5 artists and they’ll showcase their new pieces at the Hackney Showroom alongside guest artist Leo Kalyan, and the fabulous Sabah Choudrey. We’re still fundraising in order to translate all the performances, as well as provide tickets to LGBTQ refugees and/or vulnerable members of the community: https://www.gofundme.com/outrageous2018
You’re one of the curators…it must be so difficult selected just a shortlist from all the talent out there.
Yes! Curation can be tricky. But I think we’ve got a really great cross-section of performance styles and identities, so there’s something for everyone. We’ve also got two young, fiercely political poets from India who’ve created videos especially for this night and we’re really excited to showcase them.
What do you think life is like for LGBTQ Asians in the UK right now?
It’s tough, because your identity immediately becomes political. You could be wrestling with your faith, family values, community morals, or all these things put together. So to navigate all this takes a lot of courage and resilience. It also depends on where you are in the UK. That’s not to say people in smaller towns will be less accepting, but there’s a certain strength and safety that comes with numbers. And living in a big city like London, it is much easier to access resources for support.
What can non-POC people do to be allies to London’s LGBTQ Asian community?
Come and attend Outrageous for a start! But on a more serious note, take advantage of the opportunities to be more engaged with what’s happening in the queer Asian scene. Attending an event like the Queer Asia Film Festival (on till 30th June) and understanding stories, backgrounds, contexts will go a long way towards building allyship. Being an ally is sometimes also invisible – analysing your Facebook/Twitter news feed and subscribing to more diverse pages can open up a lot of different perspectives.
Performances from Outrageous! will be at Hackney Showroom on 6th July. For more info and tickets, head to hackneyshowroom.com
