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A painting on a rough wooden board: four people in saris and garlands crowding together to look at a blue mobile phone held in one of their hands.This photograph on its own page

Jogammas

The Jogappas of Northwest Karnataka—a transgender community devoted to Renuka Yellama—come alive in Banashree Vagga’s acrylic paintings celebrating their music, dance, and miracles.

Published 31 December 2025

This has finished

On view
12 December 2025 – 31 March 2026
Times
10AM to 6PM (Mon to Sunday) Till March 31st, 2026
Part of
Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26

Where

BMS Warehouse

Event venue · Bazaar Road, Mattancherry

You’ve just missed it — take it home anyway

The 2025–26 Biennale ended on 31 March 2026. The next is expected around December 2027. We made a book of all 72 exhibits, venue by venue, with the photographs — 76 pages, 9 MB.

We email you the book. Nothing else.

In Ilkal, Bagalkot, and the Belagavi districts of Northwest Karnataka, the Jogappas—a transgender community—are known for their intense, devotional music and dance, celebrating Renuka Yellama and her miracles.

Artists

Banashree Vagga (Vijaya Chitrakala Mahavidyalaya, Ilkal, Karnataka)

Medium

Acrylic on canvas board; Three acrylic on canvas boards

A painting shows four people gathered closely together, looking down at a blue smartphone held by one of them. On the left, a woman in a teal and gold sari with a red bindi leans in. Next to her, another woman in a yellow head covering and white beaded necklace smiles broadly. Beside her, a younger woman with a red mark on her forehead and a floral garland looks at the phone with a smile. On the right, an older man with white hair and a mustache, wearing a green jacket over a light shirt, leans forward to see the screen. The artwork is mounted on a textured white board with four dark screws, one in each corner, and is framed by a wide blue border.

About

Jogammas is a series of acrylic paintings dedicated to capturing the essence of this community. Banashree Vagga draws inspiration from her hometown, painting portraits that honour the Jogappas’ spiritual practice and cultural presence.

Renuka Yellama—amma, mother—is central to their devotion. Through these canvas boards, Banashree brings visibility to a community whose faith and expression deserve to be seen and celebrated.