Finding their voices through art: Boys from a shelter in Coimbatore to participate in an art workshop

The joy of the young artists knew no bounds at art showcase ‘Identity’ held in February this year in the city. The 22 boys — aged 10 to 17 — all of them from a shelter in RS Puram, were running about the exhibition space of Ruhftop, showing off their self-portraits to friends and family. The show was the culmination of a workshop by artist Ashik Jaffer-Ali, who worked with the boys for eight weeks on self-portraits. It was a testament to how art can uplift, instil confidence, and transform the doer.  

Ashik is all set to start her second art workshop Kutty Kutty Stories, in collaboration with social worker Chandhni S, and Make A Difference volunteers, with 34 boys from the same shelter. This time, they will be creating zines.

An artist in the making
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The seed for taking art to less-privileged children was sown in Ashik during her time in the US. “I held art workshops for ‘inner city kids’, whose parents were busy at work, making the children vulnerable to things that would harm them,” she recalls, adding that this was done in the hope that exposure to art would “channel their energy in a positive way.”

Once she moved back to India, Ashik held a summer workshop for children from an orphanage in Podanur. “That was 15 years ago, and unfortunately, I couldn’t take it forward,” she says, adding that thanks to her collaboration with Chandhni, her love for working with children who are not exposed to art, took wings once again.

Art work by the boys at Identity
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

As part of the self-portraits workshop, the boys were exposed to techniques of masters from across the world. In the end, Ashik says, it was the process that mattered, not the fact that they learnt to draw a “perfect picture”. She noticed that over eight weeks of the workshop, the boys grew in confidence. “They learnt that they too have a voice, and owned it,” she says. “They were proud to show their creations.” While these children are often seen as ‘that faceless boy from a shelter’, such exercises give them agency, identity, and the feeling that they matter.

Which is why she was more than happy to work with them this year too. During the eight weeks of the workshop, the boys will be creating zines through which they will tell their stories. “We will be giving them prompts to work with every week,” Ashik explains. “For instance, ‘Observation Documentation’, as part of which they will be encouraged to observe their best friend, or their morning walk to school, and create zines based on what they take in.”

Participants will also be taught an art technique a week. “Once they learn the art form, say collage, they will use that to tell stories in their zines,” she points out. “This way, they learn something new, and express themselves through the language.”

The workshops start from this week, and will culminate in an art show. To volunteer or donate for the initiative, call 9500927790.