Proceedings of the International Conference on Creativity, Innovation & Design (ICCID 2025)

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Challenging Societal Taboos through Art: Social Awareness and Education in India

Authors
Mounika Gunda1, *, Suresh Ragul A2, Toram Krishna Godha Samanvitha3, Ashutosh Kumar4, Gajanan Pratap Kulkarni5, Deepa Shree6
1Student, Fashion Design, B. Des, School of Arts and Design (SOAD), Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
2Student, Fashion Design, B. Des, School of Arts and Design (SOAD), Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
3Student, Fashion Design, B. Des, School of Arts and Design (SOAD), Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
4Assistant Professor, School of Arts and Design (SOAD), Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
5Associate Professor, School of Arts and Design (SOAD), Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
6Independent Design Consultant, Hyderabad, India
*Corresponding author. Email: mounika.gunda_2026@woxsen.edu.in
Corresponding Author
Mounika Gunda
Available Online 16 March 2026.
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_20How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Art activism; social change; cultural transformation; Indian art movements; visual communication
Abstract

Art is less about making things pretty; it is a form of innovation that reshapes the way people perceive the world and seeks to undermine deep-seated social norms enshrined in the manifoldness-caged conventionality of enduring India. With everything from prehistoric cave art and village opera, to modern computer graphics and street art, the power of art is in its ability to link voices of the individual to the voices of the collective, bringing to light the voice that has been so often suppressed. It further seeks to understand how visual and performing arts, literature, film, and social media are approached in the fight against discrimination concerning gender, caste, concerns about one’s mental health, LGBTQ + matters, and any other form of discrimination specific to a religion.

From a retrospective view of certain periods like the feminist art movement to present day activities like the performative art initiatives of the Sahmat Collective, artists have been able to provide a platform for discussions, influence decisions and cause desirable change. The investigation is structured so as to present main actors such as Nilima Sheikh on such issues as gender-based violence and Savinder Sawarkar on confronting the issue of caste, showing their ability to assist the empowerment of specific groups. Furthermore, it reviews how in the systemic structuralization of moderation, visual and performing arts are interwoven with educational programs and interventions related to population, reinforcing the changes in thought patterns.

The present research examines the correlation between art and social struggles engaging an intercultural perspective and demonstrates the ways in which art resists oppression while contributing to integration. More socio-relational programs in arts and culture are needed because absent such programs, it is not possible to fully exploit the power of art and use it to transform and liberate society in India especially among the people at the periphery.

Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title
Proceedings of the International Conference on Creativity, Innovation & Design (ICCID 2025)
Series
Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date
16 March 2026
ISBN
978-2-38476-535-5
ISSN
2352-5398
DOI
10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_20How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access
Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - CONF
AU  - Mounika Gunda
AU  - Suresh Ragul A
AU  - Toram Krishna Godha Samanvitha
AU  - Ashutosh Kumar
AU  - Gajanan Pratap Kulkarni
AU  - Deepa Shree
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/03/16
TI  - Challenging Societal Taboos through Art: Social Awareness and Education in India
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Creativity, Innovation & Design (ICCID 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 255
EP  - 273
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_20
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-535-5_20
ID  - Gunda2026
ER  -