What’s pink, female, and surrounded in sisterhood?

Over the last five years, Sister Library, India’s first community-owned feminist library, has become a safe space for education, escapism, and activism. The bright pink library that’s tucked away in Mumbai’s Bandra, across the street from the Taj Mahal Tea House, houses literature primarily by women, and works of resistance from across the gender spectrum that are allied with the feminist cause. “Over the years, we have had criticism of the books in the library, both from the right and from the left,” says founder Aqui Thami. An indigenous artist from the Thangmi community of the Himalayas, Thami was born in Darjeeling and is currently based in Mumbai. She believes in creating art that is proactively involved in addressing sociopolitical issues. And The Sister Library is her constantly growing and evolving project, which is now ready with its newest initiative, a fundraising exhibit.

On December 12, at the Lovebirds Studio in Mumbai, 27 emerging and established female artists will present their works in an exhibit titled Are You My Sister. The artists span the generational and identity spectrum, from Thami herself to veteran photographer Dayanita Singh and illustrator The Big Fat Bao (as known on Instagram). The stellar line-up also includes Bhasha Chakrabarti, Princess Pea, Dhruvi Acharya, and Gauri Gill with artworks ranging from embroidery to photographs, illustrations, and paintings. The proceeds from the sold artwork will go towards Sister Library—including its Savitri Mai fellowship, which provides mentorship and resources to girls through school and university. The additional funds will contribute to procuring more literature for the library and supporting women-centred publications.

Unlike a traditional exhibition, there will be no curatorial notes or special instructions to navigate the artwork. Designed to be a democratic space where spectators are invited to enjoy and appreciate the art, the exhibit will also offer an opportunity to those who wish to acquire the pieces on display, all for a good cause. The prime focus, as shared by Thami, is “generosity and sisterhood” to foster the idea and practice of solidarity. 

The exhibition is part of a series of projects run by Sister Library, including the Dharavi Art Room, where kids playfully engage with art materials and develop storytelling techniques, and the art serves as a retreat, but also a point of resistance. The library itself has travelled across India and the globe—Auckland, Bengaluru, Basel, Brussels, Chennai, Darjeeling, Delhi, Dhaka, Gangtok, Guwahati, Itanagar, Kochi, Kohima, Kolkata, London, Pune, and Shillong—spreading awareness and engaging with local communities. Its initiatives extend from movie nights and reading circles to the Sister Residency for indigenous artists and the Feminist Free Skool, which spreads awareness on women-centric issues. For Thami, all of this forms part of “the politics of collaboration, where the community is worked with, rather than worked on”. And this frames the Sister Library movement and how this exhibit comes together—where designer brand Lovebirds contributed studio space, artists contribute their works, spectators contribute by engaging with the art, and collectors contribute by buying it.

“Are You My Sister is a call for solidarity,” says Thami. Solidarity, here, is awareness and exchange, but also a move towards action, which Thami wants to consistently reinforce through her work. In 2018, she recalls how the library was not easy to set up as “people’s perception of feminist spaces made it difficult (initially). They think feminists are going to bring undesirable things to the neighbourhood.” But be it this exhibit or the many other projects that have launched over the years, a growing community of artists, writers, designers, and women from various walks of life have tenaciously showed up to nurture the many initiatives created by the Sister Library.

Are You My Sister is on from December 12 to 30 at the Lovebirds Studio in Colaba, Mumbai