Drag Dollz
by Ishaan Bharat
New Delhi
Project Description
Drag Dollz are sculptural art objects that blur the lines between visual art, performance, craft, and identity. Each doll becomes a hybrid - both artefact and avatar - reflecting stories of gender, community, resistance, and beauty.
Expected Impact
Drag Dollz are sculptural art objects that blur the lines between visual art, performance, craft, and identity. Each doll becomes a hybrid - both artefact and avatar - reflecting stories of gender, community, resistance, and beauty. By collaborating with local artisans and drawing from generational craft knowledge, the project supports endangered material practices while actively queering them - disrupting their historical heteronormative frames and infusing them with fluidity, play, and provocation. By showcasing Drag Dollz in galleries, public spaces, and performance settings, the project seeks to: - Normalize queer representation in Indian craft and art discourse. - Revive interest in traditional craft practices by making them relevant to new generations. - Foster cross-cultural and intergenerational collaboration, particularly between queer artists and rural artisans. Global Contribution: Drag Dollz speaks to global conversations around decolonisation, identity politics, and the role of craft in contemporary art. The work resonates with diasporic communities and international audiences interested in how traditional art forms can be queered, recontextualized, and activated in performance. It offers a model for how regional art practices can remain vital and politically urgent when linked to current movements for visibility and liberation.
Applicant Background
Being a movement & visual artist myself, operating under the moniker of Osheen - my practice primarily revolves around drag & architecture. When not performing, I work as an art director and experience designer, and run a space design studio called Sector Form. In 2022 I started dabbling with 'drag' and started simultaneously choreographing & producing ‘aerial drag’ performances, soon after which I formed Dragalactiq - a creative collective of multifarious queer performing artists, using drag & traditional craft as a medium of futuristic story telling. My work draws inspiration from gender fluidity and transformation - reimagining queer bodies and personas through a theatrical lens, while crafting futuristic posthuman creatures in meticulously constructed fantastical environments. I like exploring the idea of alternate worlds, encased within industrial shapes & forms - linking my structural space design work to my more fluid performance practice. Having worked in the creative industry for over a decade, I’ve forged a wide network of creatives and artisans, that I’ve collaborated with to bring my eccentric ideas to life. You can also check out my past work on instagram - @0sheen / @sectorform / @dragalactiq
Resources Needed
- Funding
- Mentorship
- Visibility
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