Archiving Belonging is an ongoing photographic project started in November 2024 exploring identity, visibility, and cultural inheritance within the queer South Asian diaspora in NYC. Through black and white studio portraits inspired by early South Asian photography, this work creates a space where queer Desis, often left out of family albums and cultural archives can see themselves reflected with pride and depth.
This effort is a reclaiming of space, both in front of the camera and within our cultural history.
The project will be exhibited in a handmade album bound with my mother’s old saris, turning materials tied to tradition into vessels for queer memory and belonging at the International Center of Photography and Pyar ki Pyar in Manhattan NYC in May 2025.
Learn more about the project: archivingbelonging.com
More photos will be posted soon...
Get Involved!
If you identify as queer and South Asian and are based in New York City, I’d love to hear from you. Archiving Belonging is an ongoing project, and I’m always looking to collaborate with folks who want to be photographed, share their stories, or contribute in other creative ways.
Email to get started at pujaparakh @ gmail.com