Lucknow | The vibrant cultural hub Lucknow Bioscope continued its engaging celebration with Day 2 of its 6th exhibition launch, “Feminists of Awadh: Tracing Lucknow Through Its Women.” The exhibition offers a compelling lens to experience Lucknow through the lives, spaces, and contributions of its women.
Structured across multiple thematic segments, the exhibition delves into the intimate world of zenana spaces while also presenting the thought-provoking Feminist Map of Lucknow. This map traces significant locations connected to women’s journeys in education, healthcare, and public participation, creating a layered narrative of the city’s socio-cultural evolution. An extensive archival section further enriches the experience, documenting the lives of over 40 women and offering visitors an opportunity to engage deeply with their stories.
Interactive Engagement: Mapping Personal Experiences
A key highlight of Day 2 was the exhibition’s interactive features, including Trace Your City and the Feminist Map of Lucknow. These installations transform visitors into active participants, encouraging girls, women, and the wider public to reflect on their everyday relationship with the city. Participants are invited to mark spaces where they feel safe, comfortable, and free—turning personal experiences into a collective urban narrative.
The exhibition will remain open to the public for three months, inviting continued dialogue around gender, space, and belonging.
Film Screening: “A Room of Our Own”
Adding a cinematic dimension to the day’s events, a screening of “A Room of Our Own” was आयोजित, an anthology of short film poems created by women from the Film and Television Institute of India. The film reflects on how women experience spaces and the kinds of environments that foster their sense of identity and freedom.
Filmmaker Purva Naresh noted that the project foregrounds women’s perspectives on space, presence, and belonging. The initiative is part of a broader memory and oral history project led by Reena Mohan, Bina Paul, and Surabhi Sharma, bringing together narratives of over 50 women graduates from FTII. It also sheds light on often-overlooked histories of women’s labour in Indian cinema.
Spotlight on Purva Naresh
Based in Lucknow, Purva Naresh is a noted playwright, filmmaker, and founder of Aarambh Productions. An alumna of FTII Pune, she is widely recognized for her bold and socially conscious storytelling that blends satire, music, and dance within Hindi theatre.
Her acclaimed works, including Afsaneh, OK Tata Bye Bye, and Bawli Betiya, explore themes of gender, caste, and cultural identity. A trained Kathak dancer and pakhavaj player, Naresh’s creative practice reflects a nuanced engagement with both classical traditions and contemporary narratives.
With its mix of archival depth, interactive participation, and cinematic storytelling, Day 2 of the exhibition further reinforced Lucknow Bioscope as a dynamic space for dialogue on gender, memory, and the evolving identity of the city.
