Image Description: Shivangi – a brown skinned, physically disabled femme – is sitting on tiled floor, in front of their art wall with LED lights. One of their hands is on the floor and the other is on their lap. They are wearing a loose fitting dress, a long heart shaped necklace and hoop earrings.

Story: Shivangi is a queer and disabled activist and artist with a collective called Determined Art Movement (D.A.M.). They work as a consultant, researcher, writer, advisor and facilitator with an emphasis on advocacy for disability, sexuality, gender, policy, content creation and accessibility.

From New Delhi, India, they love making silly forms of art, ranting about justice, getting tattoos, doing witchy things and graffiti all over their room. Their chosen family consists of their cat Mia and partner Nikita who is neurodivergent, trans and a super witch!

Their art practice involves writing, creating zines, painting on big and unique surfaces like their walls, prosthetic shoes, wheelchairs and making a mess! They didn’t grow up with art around them except in their own imagination. They didn’t study or learn it either. Art came to them from a place of desperation, survival, wanting to be heard and wanting to be in community. They are constantly growing and learning as an artist.

They believe that art and art tools should be accessible and affordable specifically for underrepresented and marginalized communities. They like to use the various forms of art for social justice, collective organising, live documentation of political narratives and radical thoughts.

Find them on instagram and twitter @DisabledSpice