Dil

As a queer Panjabi artist, I aim to reimagine both the present and future of Desi society while honoring our gender-expansive ancestors. Queer, trans, and gender-nonconforming South Asians have always existed and thrived. While recent histories often center violence and oppression, that’s not to say things have always been this way or that they must remain so. It’s important to know one’s true history, but it’s just as crucial to document queer Desi culture as it exists today and imagine what it can become.

Gifting gold jewelry is a deeply rooted South Asian practice, providing stability and agency in a patriarchal society. My bibi carried gold on her back during Partition, and that gold sowed the seeds of sustaining an entire lineage. Today, we exist in a time where men are not the sole providers, and non-heteronormative unions are more visible. I explore how this tradition, tied to gender and survival, can be reimagined beyond colonial structures. How might we honor the legacy of gifting gold outside of cisheteronormativity? How do we create new ways to celebrate and practice this tradition that reflect the expansiveness of our communities? My work is an ongoing dialogue between past and future, honoring what has been while carving space for what could be.