Bio
Poongodi Mathiarasu, a recognized folk artist under the Tamil Nadu Government Art and Culture Department, holds a Master’s degree in Digital Journalism (2021) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Folklore and Cultural Studies (2023). He is currently pursuing Diplomas in Expressive Arts Therapy and Puppet Therapy. Since 2019, he has been active in street theatre and over the past five years, Poongodi has volunteered at Veethi Viruthu Vizhaa, a folk artist carnival, working closely with rural folk artists, children, and the queer community. He is skilled in traditional folk dances and teaches puppet making, animation, and street theatre in schools and colleges. In 2022, he got trained in Rod Puppetry (Buraku style) and was selected for the Puppet Incubation Lab at the Goethe Institute Delhi by the Katkatha Puppet Arts Trust in 2023. A member of UNIMA India, Poongodi has contributed to various productions, serving as an artist, director, writer, and designer in works such as “Rosapookari” (2022), “Mayiru” (2022), “Ungalin Marakkah” (2023), “Pinavarai” (2023), “Neela Bhoomi” (2023), “In the Shadow of Nakba” (2023), and “Adorable Separation” (2024), most of which address queer life. He has been awarded the MMF-Pari Fellowship Grant 2023-24 to document the lives of rural trans folk artists. Currently, Poongodi is a performing artist with the Fluid Space Theatre Group and a teacher who travels to remote areas to raise awareness about gender and sexuality through his art. He is a strong advocate for “art for all” and uses his work to challenge queerphobia, Islamophobia, fascism, and inequality.