SUMMARY
As most of us are already aware, there is a lack of spaces for queer South Asians and opportunities for South Asian artists in the UK. I'm raising £4000 to curate an exhibition through Dhaga, a South Asian artist collective I founded over three years ago. The exhibition is part of my practice-based PhD in Curating at the University of Essex, investigating how grassroots art exhibitions can foster a sense of belonging for queer South Asian communities in London.
This exhibition unfolds as a journey towards belonging, explored through the works of six South Asian artists. Each piece has been selected for the distinct way it reveals how we orient ourselves in the search for belonging.
We will host a private view and facilitate community engagement activities during the exhibition. This will include a collective reading through an interactive textile installation and a collage workshop on queering the archive. The exhibition will take place from 12-15 August 2026 at Safehouse 1 in Peckham, London.
About me and Dhaga
I am a PhD researcher at the University of Essex and the founder of Dhaga.
My curatorial practice stemmed as a response to the marginalisation faced by South Asian creatives in the UK. In 2023, I founded an artist collective and online platform called Dhaga which actively supports South Asian Artists and centres queer South Asian communities.
Through exhibitions, art fairs, murals, workshops, and talk shows, Dhaga creates space for dialogue, experimentation, and visibility within the creative industry for South Asians. In its second year Dhaga gained recognition on BBC Radio 6 - a testament to the collective’s grassroots impact and cultural relevance. Our most notable collaborators include Daytimers and Club Kali - two pioneering forces in the British South Asian community.
With a growing network across digital platforms and in-person, Dhaga continues to reimagine what inclusive, South Asian-led spaces can look and feel like today through a distinctly intersectional lens.
My curatorial CV:
Previous Exhibitions
- You Can Sit With Us, 2024 (Dhaga)
- Sustainable Futures, 2023 (Dhaga)
- Thinkers, Makers, Dreamers, 2021 (Kingston University MA Sustainable Design graduate show at London Design Festival)
Dhaga Art Fairs
- DAYTIMERS LATE at Whitechapel Gallery, 2025
- DAYTIMERS Festival at the Horniman, 2024
Guest Curator for SERVICE 95 - The Sunday List, 2025
About the exhibition – (be)longing
This exhibition forms part of my research which proposes a significant contribution to curatorial studies and cultural theory by investigating how grassroots exhibitions can serve as meaningful sites of belonging for queer South Asian communities in London. It brings together queer phenomenology, curatorial practice, and community-led methods to explore how embodied, spatial, and affective experiences shape the conditions of belonging in cultural spaces. By situating curating as a form of inquiry—rather than simply a vehicle for display—the project reframes the exhibition as a site of knowledge production, emotional connection, and collective care.
This study addresses a documented gap in existing research on belonging in museum and gallery contexts, particularly regarding queer and diasporic perspectives. Rather than relying solely on inclusion/exclusion metrics, this study draws on queer phenomenology and curatorial practice as tools to investigate how embodied experience, spatial design, and cultural memory contribute to feelings of belonging. In doing so, it offers a more situated, intersectional understanding of what it means to belong in cultural and curatorial spaces. It is particularly urgent given the social realities faced by many queer South Asian individuals, where loneliness and disconnection from mainstream cultural life remain persistent challenges.
Exhibiting artists
Aaran Sian, Niam Madlani, Neeti Kumar, Prishika Nagar, Liyaan Khoso, Lily Ashraf
Where will the money go?
- If we hit our minimum target, the money will go towards the venue (4-day hire), exhibition materials and minimal fees for curation and exhibiting artists.
- If we hit our full target, the money will go towards community engagement activities, better artist fees, exhibition documentation, private view refreshments, graphic design & marketing, artwork installation fees and transport.
- If we raise more than the target, we may programme additional community engagement activities, keep the exhibition open for longer (depending on venue availability), print more exhibition catalogues and provide even better fees for everyone involved.
- Updates of the campaign will be provided weekly.
Cost breakdown
Minimum Target: £1350
- Venue hire (4-days): £750
- Exhibition materials (Printed introduction banner, Artwork statement cards, Exhibition catalogues, Artwork assembly materials): £50
- Artist fees (6 artists): £250
- Curator fees: £100
- Graphic design & Marketing: £100
- Artwork installation: £100
Full Target: £4000
- Venue hire (4-days): £750
- Exhibition materials (Printed introduction banner, Artwork statement cards, Exhibition catalogues, Artwork assembly materials): £320
- Artist fees (6 artists): £600
- Curator fees: £200
- Exhibition documentation (photography & videography): £600
- Community engagement activities: £600
- Private view refreshments: £100
- Graphic design & Marketing: £400
- Artwork installation: £330
- Transportation costs for the team: £100
Rewards
We have a range of exciting rewards available for our generous sponsors.
All sponsors will receive a mention on our exhibition catalogue & Instagram story.
We also have specific rewards for individuals and brands Dhaga aligns with, please inquire via email before donating – info@dhaga.art.
- £100: Half a page ad on our exhibition catalogue & Instagram story
- £200: Full page ad on our exhibition catalogue & Instagram story
- £300: Full page ad on our exhibition catalogue & featured Instagram post
Find us here
@dhaga______ on Instagram
Thank you!
If you are not in a position to donate, simply sharing this project will help us massively.
