Kutti Collective

Kutti Collective is a group of six young South African artists of South Asian ancestry, the Kutti Collective is a community increasing visibility, and transforming what representation looks like for people of colour; actively archiving our history and lives while redefining our identities even as they challenge social norms.

‘Kutti’ (pronounced cu-tee) is both a derogatory term in Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu slang, meaning ‘bitch’ or ‘female dog’ and conversely a term of endearment in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu, which can mean ‘darling.’ The word Kutti, in reference to the meaning ‘bitch’, like its English counterpart, is loaded – historically used, created, and sustained by patriarchy. By adopting the name ‘kutti’, we subvert its original meaning and attempt to re-establish the power and agency the term denies.

The collective simultaneously reflect and engage with our identities through past and present experiences and traumas, complicating what it is to be of South Asian ancestry and what ‘being Indian’ looks like.