Artist Spotlight: Vivek Shraya

As a writer, poet, singer, filmmaker, and visual composer, Toronto based artist Vivek Shraya has been generating a continuous flow of creative content for about 22 years. Her numerous and multimedia works have been critically acclaimed and recognized by institutions like The Globe and Mail, The Huffington Post, the CBC, and The National Post. Shraya is a three time Lambda Literary Award finalist, a 2015 Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Artist Award finalist, and a 2015 recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s Dayne Ogilvie Prize Honour of Distinction. In addition to her widely successful artistic endeavours, Vivek currently works as a positive space coordinator and human rights advisor at George Brown College where she provides LGBTQ+ diversity training for college faculty and students and is at the helm of all queer/trans programming on campus. Her large array of boundary pushing work has also led her to becoming quite the positive queer role model. In fact, just last month, Shraya was named named one of Pride Toronto’s Grand Marshals. With all of these things in mind, I think Shraya is more than deserving of this weeks artist spotlight. Her multitude of artistic work and dedication to bringing about LGBTQ+ awareness as well as South Asian diversity constantly inspires me. Therefore, I’d like to share with you some of Vivek’s past as well as upcoming projects to paint a clearer picture of her work:

SHE OF THE MOUNTAINS

Released in 2014, She of the Mountains is a contemporary 2 perspective narrative that tells a unique love story using elements and principles of Hindu mythology to examine and follow the intricacies of loving relationships. Poetic and transcendent, the book explores the intersection of love without labels, spirituality, and the inquiry of identity. Included as one of The Globe and Mail’s Best Books of 2014, Shraya’s debut novel also features 16 full-page colour illustrations by Montreal artist Raymond Biesinger.

 TRISHA

Trisha is an 18 photo visual essay created by Shraya to express her admiration towards her mother as well as examine themes of misogyny, sense of self, feminism, and her own journey as a recently transitioned trans woman of an Indian background. The series features 9 vintage photos of Vivek’s mother in her twenties, newly married and recently immigrated to Alberta from India, as well as 9 more photos in which Vivek recreated her mother’s likeness in her own way, expressing that she sees so much of her mother in herself, and yet she is not her, and “[she] doesn’t have to be” but rather she gets “to be something new”. The beautiful and light-hearted imagery paired with Shraya’s powerful and personal words make for a truly moving piece. The name of the project stems from the name Vivek’s mom would have given her if she was biologically born a girl. You can view the full visual essay here.

 TOO ATTACHED

Too Attached is an R&B, electronica, and soul music duo consisting of siblings Shamik and Vivek Shraya. While of course Vivek has previously released several solo EPs and music collections, when she combines her soulful vocals with her younger brother’s expert beatboxing and music producing skills to cover timeless samples by Missy Elliott and The Rascals, the finished product is beyond amazing. With the two siblings living on opposite coasts of Canada, most of their work is curated virtually, just further strengthening their unmistakeable musical chemistry. In addition to several covers, the pair recently also released their debut record, Bronze. Too Attached will also be opening for Tegan and Sara’s during the Canadian installment of their Love You to Death tour, meaning Vivek and Shamik will be performing right here at Calgary’s very own BMO Center this coming October!

 THE BOY AND THE BINDI

Set to release this fall, The Boy and the Bindi is an upcoming children’s picture book written by Vivek Shraya and illustrated by Rajni Perera. The story follows a young Indian boy’s admiration for his mother’s bindi, a symbolic dot traditionally worn on the forehead by many South Asian women. Indulging in his curiosity, the mother teaches her son the cultural and spiritual significance of the little dot, allowing him to wear it  and express his own individuality through a unique display of culture. Not finding much cultural diversity in picture books while growing up as a queer Indian individual, Vivek wrote this book to try and promote a more inclusive and comprehensive culture within children’s books.

Overall, although this is only a tiny sample of Vivek’s amazing and extensive portfolio of art, writing, film, and music, I think it’s definitely enough to get hooked on to her amazing and inspiring artistic work. I hope you enjoyed experiencing something perhaps a little different and new. Please be sure to check out Vivek’s website if you’re interested or wish to learn more about any of her projects! Until the next spotlight, remember to keep an open mind and always be open to new forms of art and expression!