Sign Language and Art: Panel & Performance

About the Event:

Overview

This talk focuses on the role of sign language in making museum spaces more accessible. It brings people with speech and hearing impairments closer to art, encouraging them to connect with it, discover their own creative voices, and share their stories. By making museums more inclusive, we also make them more creative and welcoming for everyone.

This panel explores sign language as a vibrant form of artistic expression, highlighting its cultural significance and impact on inclusivity in the arts, including art, photography, and deaf filmmaking. Panellists include a Deaf artist specializing in photography, an art educator focused on inclusive practices, a cultural advocate promoting Deaf culture, and a linguist studying the intersection of language and art. Topics will cover artistic expression in sign language, its role in preserving Deaf culture, collaboration across art forms, strategies for integrating sign language in education, and the unique contributions of deaf filmmaking

Audience engagement will include a Q&A session to foster discussion and share experiences.

Performance: Indian Sign Language Jam

Performer: Hardeep Singh & Haseena S

Duration: 30 minutes

A one-of-a-kind performance of poetry and storytelling in Indian Sign Language, celebrating the creativity, emotions, and nuances of Deaf expression and importance of communication beyond spoken language.

Panel Discussion:

Duration: 1 hour

The panel will look at how accessibility helps support speech and hearing accessibility, builds collaborations across art forms, and supports inclusive education.

Panellists

1) Swetha Kulkarni, Photographer

Swetha is a Deaf photographer based in Chennai, currently employed at TCS. She developed her passion for photography through Batch 5 of the Madras Photography Blogger course, guided by her teacher, Srivastan. Swetha has showcased her artistic talents in various exhibitions, focusing on both photography and visual arts.

Her notable achievements include winning a gold medal in the South Zone Abilympics painting competition at IIT Madras. In 2017, she received an award from the President of India in the Role Model (Woman) category, recognizing her significant contributions to art and her impact in education and sports.

2) Lokesh Thangam - Lokesh V is a talented Deaf artist from Chennai, Tamil Nadu, known for his vibrant contributions to the arts. He holds a B.Com degree from St. Louis College for the Deaf and an MBA from the University of Madras. Currently, he works in the Visual Effects Paint Department at BOTVFX in Teynampet, Chennai.

Lokesh has participated in over 300 competitions, securing first prizes in 70 of them, and has exhibited his artwork in more than 35 group shows. His notable achievements include recognition for his artwork addressing global warming, earning district and state-level awards.

In the 2024 National Abilympics, Lokesh won the South Zone title in the Painting category, followed by another success in the Character Design category at the June 2025 competition. He has received multiple prestigious awards, including the Disha Young Achiever Award, the Gandhian Great Man Award, and the Best Artist Award from the Madras Foundation of Deaf Women. Notably, he was recognized by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment for his outstanding contributions to the arts.

3) Dhinesh DSJK, Film Maker

Dhinesh, born Deaf in Chennai, is a dedicated filmmaker and advocate for the Deaf community. He holds a BCA degree and has completed a 3D Animation course at MAAC, along with online courses in Filmmaking and Color Grading. Driven by his passion for creating short films featuring Deaf individuals, he questioned why a Deaf person, even without spoken language, could not produce films in Indian Sign Language.

Recognizing the exceptional talent in the Deaf community, Dhinesh founded Deaf

Short Films to showcase their skills. His initiative has successfully organized both Indian and international short film and feature film competitions and awards, promoting equal opportunities for Deaf artists in the film industry.

4) Srivatsan Sankaran, Curator & Travel Photographer/Educator - Curator of the Event

Srivatsan Sankaran is a travel photographer and photography educator dedicated to empowering the Deaf community. Despite his hearing challenges, he has traveled to over 200 destinations and documented more than 50 festivals. Through photography, he expresses his emotions, forging connections with the world around him.

His story was selected for exhibition as a Change Maker at the WHO campus on

World Hearing Day 2023. Additionally, he serves as a brand influencer for Sony Alpha cameras. In March 2016, he founded the Madras Photo Bloggers Foundation, creating a platform for Deaf artists and photographers to showcase their talents. The initiative has trained over 100 Deaf students in photography, many of whom are now employed in various organizations across Chennai. Srivatsan aims to bridge the gap between Deaf and non-disabled communities through the art of photography and has received various accolades in recognition of his contributions to the artistic world.

5) Siddhant Shah - Founder - Access for All - Moderator

About the Performers

Hardeep Singh is Inclusion Coordinator and Designer at the Museum of Art & Photography. His projects bring together personal stories and social themes, bridging communication gaps and bringing Deaf experiences into the heart of contemporary art.

Haseena S Beyond her banking career, she is a passionate Indian Sign Language (ISL) performer, committed to making music accessible to the Deaf community. Haseena's ultimate aspiration is to become a renowned ISL singer, enabling Deaf individuals to experience and connect with the vibrancy of music through her performances.

Date - 2 November 2025
Time - 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Venue - KNMA Saket

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