CONSULTANT / ARTIST / CURATOR

Peoples Unite! How Southall changed the country is a look at the multicultural town of Southall, where an incredible mixture of philosophies, traditions, and art forms have flourished. Travel through time from the 1970s up to the present day and hear from local heroes who confronted racism through their music and activism.

I was brought on as a consultant to help make sure the diverse voice of South Asian women and queer people were heard. i recognised areas that lacked this voices and made recommendations accordingly, making significant changes were needed.

Working as an artist and curator, I helped come up with and build the ‘living room’ area in the exhibition, using objects from my parents house.

I also used a room to curate a maternal space that encompasses the warmth, love and nostalgia of being a woman in Southall from the 70s to present day. To achieve this, I used clothing from my family and friends, a Bollywood film playing in the background, smells from incense and a ‘dress up’ area.

Watch me speak on the exhibition trailer here.

CURATOR

Burnt Roti Issue 4 was the first ever South Asian trans and non-binary exhibition in England.

Using iconic cover stars from Burnt Roti - Shash Appan, Sabah Choudrey and Shiva Raichandani - this exhibition acts as a celebration of the South Asian trans and non-binary community. Burnt Roti was founded by Sharan Dhaliwal to create a platform for young creatives to showcase their talent, find safe spaces and destigmatise topics around mental health and sexuality. 

Featured in this new exhibition is Shash Appan (she/her) who is the co-founder of Trans Aid Cymru, a mutual aid organisation for trans people in Wales. On the new exhibition, she said: “I felt really privileged to share this platform with some truly wonderful people, and we look pretty cool, which I like.” 

Sabah Choudrey (they/he) says “I used to come to Gunnersbury Park & Museum as a child,” they said. “As a trans person you never expect to see yourself in museums – our erasure throughout history is evident. So going into Gunnersbury Museum and seeing these beautiful photos of South Asian trans people, Shiva Shash, and myself (!) covering the walls is just so incredibly affirming. We belong here and we exist.”