Raimu Itfum receives 2024 Samānatā Commission.
Kala Sangam and Jaivant Patel Company are delighted to announce Raimu Itfum as the recipient of the Samānatā South Asian Queer Performance Seed Commission for 2024.
Raimu will receive £2800 along with studio time at Kala Sangam and mentoring with Jaivant Patel to support the development of his project. Raimu will be developing a theatrical piece exploring the duality of hypersexuality through a Modern South Asian Queer lens. A sharing of work will take place in 2025.
Alex Corwin, Marketing and Programme Manager at Kala Sangam said, ‘We are really excited to be supporting Raimu to develop his bold, provocative and authentic work. Although Queer South Asian Voices are still really unrepresented across the creative sector, the applications we have received for this round of the Samānatā Commission show the depth and range of stories that need to be told.’
Jaivant Patel, Artistic Director of Jaivant Patel Company said, ‘The work of Jaivant Patel Company has been unique on the UK cultural landscape in the amplification of South Asian Queer narratives. It has always been of importance for JPCo to lift other LGBTQIA + artists and to create space truly reflective in the representation of South Asian Queer voices. This is about creating much needed change for opportunity in the sector and placing investment on marginalised artists’
The Samānatā Commission was launched in 2023 to support the development of performance work by LGBTQIA+ South Asian artists in the UK. The first recipients were Mithun Gill and Nikhita Devi.
