Kutti Bazaar
Proto 11 February–12 April 2021
Photograph of ephemera from ‘The Kutti Bazaar,’ the Kutti Collective’s online pop-up in collaboration A4’s Proto~ museum shop. In the centre, Talia Ramkilawan’s embroidery of a thali is draped across a stand, below it sheets of patterned paper line the concrete floor.
Ephemera: The Kutti Collective’s Bazaar, February 11–April 12, 2021. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Title Kutti Bazaar Dates 11 February–12 April 2021 Location Online Tagline Kutti Collective and Proto partner to create an interactive online pop-up: The Kutti Bazaar. Credits

Kutti Collective participating artists: 
Youlendree Appasamy
Alka Dass 
Tyra Naidoo
Githan Coopoo
Talia Ramkilawan
Tazme Pillay
Akshar Maganbeharie
Saaiqa

Proto:
Hamzeh Alfarahneh

Web design:
Ben Johnson

Kutti Collective’s dedicated web page at Proto online draws inspiration from the diverse and rich heritage of the Southeast Asian diaspora to create a plaza pop-up shop. Part celebration, part commemoration, this online offering reflects on the 160 years since the introduction of indentured labour in South Africa; the Collective’s members sharing in the many expressions of their Desi heritage (Desi being an adjective that denotes Indian subcontinental origin).

Kutti’s works are selected and curated, with limited-edition merchandise made on the occasion of the Bazaar. Extending Proto’s preoccupation with creative processes, the Collective offers a series of off-cuts and fragments that reflect the artists’ individual practices and collaborative gestures.

Parallel to the Bazaar, Kutti runs a ‘takeover’ on Proto’s Instagram account to include more transitory thoughts and traces that extend beyond the virtual marketplace. 

At once a storefront and virtual studio, Kutti’s online presence – framed as a conversation between the Collective and Proto – is populated by both products and propositions, with links to further resources and readings.

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About Kutti Collective

The Kutti Collective – pronounced “cu-tee” – takes as name a Hindi and Punjabi slur for ‘bitch’ or ‘female dog’, a derogatory descriptor given to womxn and LGBT+ individuals. The Collective’s nine members, while geographically dispersed across South Africa’s cities, rally around the expression and celebration of their Desi heritage.

By adopting the word ‘kutti’, we subvert its original meaning and attempt to re-establish our power and agency. As Kuttis, we are building community, increasing visibility, and transforming representation for people of color and Indians; actively archiving our history and lives while redefining our identities even as they challenge social norms. We are simultaneously reflecting and engaging with our identities through our past and present experiences and traumas. But we are also ultimately transcending what that expected ‘Indian’ experience is, or what it should look like, through our art and our lives.

The Kutti Collective is Kate’Lyn Chetty, Youlendree Appasamy, Alka Dass, Tyra Naidoo, Githan Coopoo, Talia Ramkilawan, Tazme Pillay, Akshar Maganbeharie and Saaiqa.

Photograph of ephemera from ‘The Kutti Bazaar,’ the Kutti Collective’s online pop-up in collaboration A4’s Proto~ museum shop. In the centre, a small table supports a flat cardboard box holding various small art objects, with sheets of patterned paper lining the concrete floor below it. In the middle, Githan Coopoo’s ceramic plate reads “you make me want to be a a passionate lover.” On the right, Tazme Pillay’s aromatherapy bottles ‘PARTY’. On the left, Youlendree Appasamy’s ‘Goth Kolam earrings’ and ‘Minimal Kolam earrings’.
Ephemera: The Kutti Collective’s Bazaar, February 11–April 12, 2021. Image courtesy of A4 Arts Foundation.
Website still from ‘The Kutti Bazaar,’ the Kutti Collective’s online pop-up in collaboration A4’s Proto~ museum shop, featuring the social media links of its members.
Website still from ‘The Kutti Bazaar,’ the Kutti Collective’s online pop-up in collaboration A4’s Proto~ museum shop, featuring a selection of books.
Website still from ‘The Kutti Bazaar,’ the Kutti Collective’s online pop-up in collaboration A4’s Proto~ museum shop, featuring a reading list and social media handles.
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