Brown men belong in documentaries, not fine art: in conversation with photographer Mahtab Hussain

by Jamal Mehmood These are trying times for the subjects of Mahtab Hussain’s latest work. The artist’s series of portraits titled ‘You Get Me?’ is a timely look at young, working class South Asian men, who identify as Muslim. A community that is at once under pernicious state surveillance, as well as increasing intimidation from… Read More

How to be Desi in 2017: Riz MC and Heems are forging a new cultural reflection of South Asians in diaspora

by Iman Sultan  I don’t normally get moved by music videos, but Swet Shop Boys’ internet-released video, “Aaja”, a track off their Cashmere album, released late last year, felt like salvation A tribute to Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch, who was murdered last summer, and whose very death made her an icon, the video… Read More

Walking While Brown While Looking Black

by R. Benedito Ferrão On February 6, 2015, an Indian man was left partially paralyzed, following an encounter with the police in Madison, Alabama, USA. News of the event spread on social media and elsewhere online. When it became known that a police car had captured video of the incident on its dashboard camera, an… Read More

“Nope, You Really Can’t Say That”: My Love/Hate Relationship with The Mindy Project

by Nashwa Khan Living in what can sometimes feel like a South Asian feminist echo chamber, we become accustomed to never questioning those we idolize. As a result, years have gone by without Mindy Kaling’s body of work being critically examined within our community. Many black women have made observations of Kaling’s anti-blackness on social… Read More

“Some People Are Gaysian – Get Over It!”

by Khakan Qureishi Last year, I participated in a project whose aim was to explore the issues surrounding people who identify as LGBT amongst South Asian communities in the UK. The interviewer asked the following three questions: 1) Why are LGBT South Asians still “hidden”? 2) Why aren’t there any visible role models of South… Read More

Visual Subversions: At the Intersection of Art and Identity

Stunning traditional henna designs on hands, backs and legs are the subject of artist Hina Ali‘s photo essay, exploring skin as a ‘repository of honour & canvass of oppression’. with Rakshi Rath The Artist’s Journey: I am a final year undergraduate, studying Fine Art for Design. My search for mediums of artistic expression during my studies has also coincided… Read More

Are you down for brown?

by Farzana Rahman As a dark-complexioned, brown, South Asian Muslim woman, at any one point in my prolific dating career, I’ve had to deal with iterations of the following conversation: (Where X denotes men I have dated, and Y = me). X: “I didn’t think you would talk to me!” Y: “Why?” X: “Cos you’re… Read More