Couch Surfing has had its blossoms and now has gone to seed. Its concept was introduced to me by a stranger in the seat beside me, on a flight back to London from Delhi in 2008. Simple principle, if you have a couch to spare, and you feel a connection with the shared interests of a traveller, you become their host or guest. Continue reading Seeds of Couch Surfing
My desire to seek out masks worn in the name of masculinity, started with a working title Mas(k)culinities. Realised after a few years that it’s not just the men scarred by the expected role play of their gender, notion of what is considered feminine, has equally damaged generations Continue reading Hyper Real Zoomable Portraits
Blessings for Now, Abundance, Health and a whole lotta LOVE!
This amaryllis was received as a gift from my neighbour. I nurtured it from bulb to bloom. Seeing it evolve closely was a joy to behold as I crafted these images for the entire month. I then published the series in my blog two years ago. Rumi’s quote fills me with awe and inspiration. I felt it was important to extend the vibrations of love I had received via the amaryllis. So here I am, Rumi and the flower in union while I continue to share my blessings and LOVE!!
A very happy new year to you all. Live every moment of 2018 with blessings, Love and More Love.
Till early last year I was calling this body of work Mas(k)culinities for reasons that seemed right at the time. Masculinity is stigmatized and problematized and I sought different sexualities to explore the breadth of being male. During this period voices and images of women were included to elaborate masculinity from their perspective. Soon I realized that fissures and scars caused by these simplistic binaries run very deep within all of us. Obliged to play out the ‘normative’ roles assigned from the time of our births onwards, is a patriarchal hegemony that has to be challenged. Individual point of views that encompass realities beyond dictates of the mainstream is the only way to disrupt this control. We have to create safe spaces for celebrating the ‘human’ in all its manifestations rather than be threatened by difference. Continue reading 1001 UnMasked ~ hyper-real portraits of gender
Ann my neighbour gifted me a potted bulb of Amaryllis belladonna. It was a farewell 2015 intimate food based Casa Ali gathering in my front room. Ann, Vojko my ex-flatmate, Franz my couch surfing guest et moi. Amidst hugs and laughter and anecdotes and reminisces, Ann brought out this decorative pot boxed with no nonsense instructions. A beautiful thoughtful gift marking the end of an year and welcoming the new. Continue reading Amaryllis… a token of neighbourly love!
