In 2012, as the Nirbhaya protests erupted across the country, we witnessed: the unfiltered raw rage of women and men take over the streets with their demands to “Stop Violence Against Women” and “Hang the Rapist.” We also saw: endless streams of media fear-mongering that fuelled visions of those streets being unsafe for women. 

In response, artist Shilo Shiv Suleman created a single poster and put out a call: we know what we don’t want, but what about the world we do want? What does being Fearless in public space mean to you? 

She received a flood of posters created by women and men articulating and affirming the safe and sacred worlds they were dreaming of. 

In this moment, like many others, Beauty Saved because it was the antidote to fear and hate, it brought people together to speak for a cause, rather than against one, it fuelled the creative energy we need to first imagine (then build) our futures. 

This series highlights some of the posters created by Shilo Shiv Suleman and other artists across the country - each made by a woman telling her own story through beautiful affirmations.