Collaborative Mural Celebrating Queer Lives Unveiled on Kotturpuram Wall in Chennai

A new collaborative mural celebrating queer lives has been unveiled along the wall of Anna University in Kotturpuram, Chennai. Led by mixed-media artist Ghana NB alongside the Aravani Art Project and the Anonymous Artist Collective, the public art installation was initiated by Tamizhachi Thangapandian and her team to normalise queer lives and promote "artivism"—the use of art as a form of silent protest and activism.

The mural project brought together professional artists and queer volunteers who painted side-by-side to create a public visual archive. The artwork deliberately avoids stereotypical or exaggerated depictions of queer individuals, focusing instead on representing their everyday personalities and existence.

According to Ghana NB, the project aimed to portray queer people with simplicity and dignity rather than framing their identities through romance, conflict, or trauma. During the painting process, volunteers were encouraged to contribute personal touches, including one artist who painted the phrase "Gender is Political" directly onto the public wall.

The Kotturpuram mural is part of a broader "artivism" movement in Chennai, which was also recently visible at the Chennai Pride Walk. The walk featured various hand-painted artworks, including a canvas of B.R. Ambedkar against an LGBTQIA+ rainbow background and a depiction of Periyar burning the recently introduced Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026.

Other Chennai-based artists have also been utilizing digital spaces to expand this visual archive. Digital artist Parameshwaran, who runs the Instagram page @queer.azhagiyal, creates illustrations that root queer representation in familiar Tamil aesthetics, clothing, and cultural practices. Parameshwaran noted that while queer representation existed, it was rarely culturally familiar or reflected through Tamil languages, traditions, or everyday realities.

Similarly, Naveen Daniel, a Dalit artist with disability and a demisexual illustrator, uses his art to process pain and depict inclusive futures for marginalised communities. Naveen explained that his illustrations emerge from his lived experiences of disability, isolation, and queerness, focusing on emotions like grief, sadness, loneliness, hope, and resilience.

Through projects like the Kotturpuram wall mural and digital archiving, Chennai's queer artists are establishing a permanent, culturally-rooted presence in the city's public and digital spaces.