Dalit Dreamlands: Multimedia Art Exhibit in Oakland, Calif., Envisions an Anti-Caste Utopia Through Art
- The show runs through May 16 at ARTogether and June 9 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
In 14th century India, the poet and spiritual leader Guru Ravidas imagined “Begampura” – a utopian society free from the ills of the caste system. This “land without sorrow” would be casteless, classless and griefless, allowing all to pursue spiritual enlightenment equally.
Today, the radical vision of Begampura has inspired “Dalit Dreamlands,” a powerful multimedia art exhibit currently on view in Oakland, California. Curated by artist Manu Kaur, the show centers on the stories, struggles and joys of Dalits — those oppressed under South Asia’s centuries-old caste hierarchy.
The artworks on display celebrate Dalit identity and imagine an egalitarian future, while also honoring other marginalized South Asian communities like Muslims, Indo-Caribbeans and Adivasi indigenous peoples. From hand-painted fashion to documentary films and family portraits, the installations reclaim narratives too often suppressed.
“I wanted it to be about centering our stories and our joy,” says Kaur, who comes from a Dalit Punjabi Sikh family. Growing up, their household rarely discussed its “untouchable” caste origins — a silence reflecting the stigma faced by many Dalits.
Kaur’s own family photos showing pride in Dalit leaders like B.R. Ambedkar challenge that legacy of shame. So too do portraits of diaspora figures like model Seema Hari living openly as Dalit. “It flipped the narrative from our lives just being about trauma to our lives being about celebration and arts,” Hari explains.
The exhibit resonates amid broader fights for Dalit rights, including recent legislative battles over outlawing caste discrimination. For Kaur, those struggles connect to other global movements confronting oppression, as reflected in Dreamlands’ solidarity with Palestine.
“Dalit liberation goes hand in hand with Palestinian liberation,” Kaur states. Though the dream of an egalitarian “Begampura” remains distant, they see art as a vehicle for manifesting it: “It’s like a dreamland because it hasn’t really happened in reality yet. So it feels like a dream that I’m trying to make into a reality.”
Dalit Dreamlands runs through May 16 at ARTogether and June 9 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center.
(This story is adapted from a published report filed by Sonia Paul, an Oakland, Calif.-based freelance journalist and audio producer on altaonline.com)
(Top photo, Dalit Dreamlands/Instagram)