5/15/04

Elegant. Stunning. Thought-provoking.

This is a glorious collection of photographs exploring Queer Culture in the South Asian community. This is a luxurious volume with it’s plastic protector snuggling the bright red linen cover, which opens onto the brilliant purple end pages. The initial shock of color is echoed throughout the collection of photographs, which are bright, bold and occasionally shocking. These are extreme and loving images, sort of a dyke’s Mapplethorpe, the subjects being treated with affection and sensitivity while making a clear political statement. It’s smaller than a traditional coffee table book, but it would be a sin to hide this work on a shelf. It should be displayed proudly, shared often and discussed at length.

A brilliant step toward redefining “gender” with an eye toward diversity and wonder.