This Body Is Not A Temple by Priyanka Paul

A zine printed on handmade, textured paper, juxtaposing trans bodies against the phrase "My body is a temple". Given that the temple exists, and that Dalit / marginalised-caste people aren’t allowed inside the temple due to untouchability, trans bodies find themselves ousted from the temples of cis-hetero normativity. The idea is to abandon the temple, to reject the confines of the temple, and to go beyond. Divinity is everywhere. The temple is merely a space in which untouchability is further validated. Something can be holy only if something/someone else is deemed unholy or impure. The zine aims to challenge prevailing norms surrounding gender, caste, and societal hierarchies by equating the experience of a transgender body to the concept of a temple, ultimately advocating for the transcendence of restrictive brahmanical gender norms.

by Priyanka Paul

Priyanka Paul is an artist, writer, and activist from Bombay, India. Their work, which revolves around themes of social justice, self-exploration, and marginalisation, combines poetry and comedy with lots of loud colour. In their free time, Priyanka enjoys drinking copious amounts of iced tea, hoarding zines, and stirring shit up on the internet.

from blaft