Queer Immigrants in Britain: A Photographic Celebration of Resilience and Belonging
Brazilian-born, London-based photographer Asafe Ghalib has created a deeply personal collection of photographs that explores the lives of LGBTQIA+ immigrants in Britain. Through his series Queer Immigrants, Ghalib celebrates resilience, visibility and belonging, transforming his subjects into their "rawest, most beautiful and most empowered" forms.
Challenging Misrepresentation Through Visual Storytelling
Ghalib's work aims to capture people within a historical context to bring awareness to what he describes as the "long-resisting and historically misrepresented queer community." The photographer explains that the queer community has taught him to express himself without boundaries, providing a sense of freedom and belonging that he seeks to share through his art.
"My work aims to provoke, inform and create a safe space for the viewer through the exploration of identity," Ghalib states, emphasising the educational and transformative potential of his photography.
Monochrome Aesthetics and Historical References
The photographer employs monochromatic colours throughout the series, deliberately resembling newspaper photographs and historical images from old books and magazines. This aesthetic choice connects to traditional family portraiture, a form that has been present since photography's invention.
"It is by embracing these parameters that I create a place to be reclaimed," Ghalib explains, "showing the importance of each and every person that I photograph in their own manner." This approach allows him to honour photographic traditions while simultaneously challenging and expanding them.
Intimate Portraits and Collaborative Creation
Ghalib primarily photographs individuals by themselves, allowing their personalities to emerge fully during sessions. He describes the photographic space as "a special occasion where we can learn from each other" and communicate the subject's ideas authentically.
The photographer works mostly with friends and fellow artists from the LGBTQIA+ community, creating what he calls "a collective effort to reshape the narrative surrounding our community and challenge the misconceptions that have perpetuated our misrepresentation."
Editorial Collaborations and Community Recognition
Beyond his personal series, Ghalib has created editorial works in collaboration with various magazines and campaigns that specifically centre the queer community. These collaborations represent more than mere commissions to the photographer.
"These editorial collaborations served not only as a form of recognition," Ghalib notes, "but also as a powerful continuation of my desire to make vital space for authenticity and beauty within the queer narrative."
A Platform for Reclaiming Agency
Through his visual storytelling, Ghalib invites viewers to embark on a journey that immerses them in the complexities and triumphs of queer immigrant lives. His work confronts societal expectations and stereotypes, fostering more accurate understanding of community identity.
"Through collaboration, my work becomes a powerful platform for the queer community to reclaim agency," the photographer asserts, "inspiring others to question the status quo and promoting positive change within our society."
Celebrating Queer Presence and Solidarity
Each photographic session represents what Ghalib describes as "a true celebration of queer presence, expression and solidarity." The vibrant colours, carefully chosen environments and evocative gestures all speak to a shared language of creativity and care that underpins his work.
Photographer Prishita Maheshwari-Aplin observes that "Ghalib's photography reclaims humanity through visibility, insisting on the dignity of those too often erased – queer, migrant, othered – and celebrating their power to imagine and inhabit new worlds."
The complete collection, titled Shine: Portraits in Queer Resilience, Embracing New Dimensions, is available to purchase from The New Press, offering viewers an opportunity to engage with this important photographic exploration of queer immigrant experiences in contemporary Britain.
