Kin: Curated by Baesianz

Baesianz are excited to present Kin, a group exhibition of nine photographers whose work explores kinship through a radical lens, highlighting queerness, femininity and the familial.

Shot across various locations around the world, this selection of works captures the multiplicities of kinship through the outlook of Asian heritage photographers of varying genders, identities, and lived experiences. As we walk by these images, precious moments and candid displays of intimacy greet us at every turn. Each photograph invites a radical revisioning and perspective largely unconsidered of Asian communities living within and outside the West. 

In Kin, the message is clear. Closeness and kinship are the collectively nourishing forces that sustain community; the joy and forgotten histories of trans communities in Beirut are archived in Mohamad Abdouni’s images; celebration takes centre stage in Sami Kimberley’s photos of the London-based football team for women, trans and non-binary people of Asian heritage, Baesianz FC; tenderness, youth and soul are championed in Hidhir Badaruddin’s reframing of queer masculinity.

Kinship exists in all spaces, within the home, outside its doors and in the arms of chosen family. We see solidarity amongst labouring workers in Uzbekistan who are softly captured in the everyday surrealism of Kamila Rustambekova photographs; Kin Coedel ushers us to the Tibetan Plateau where a tight-knit community of craftswomen keep generational yak-wool-textile-making practices alive; Raajadharshini documents her community of people in Tamil Nadu to anchor them in visual love letters to stand the test of time. 

In this curation, we are offered gentle reminders of how the vital energy of kinship shows up in our everyday lives, its essence both grounding and lifting at once.

Featured artists:
Mohamad Abdouni @mohamad_abdouni
Hidhir Badaruddin @thehidhir
Kin Coedel @kinbykin
Hassan Kurbanbaev @hassankurbanbaev
Sami Kimberley @samikimberley
qíqí lù @_xiaodongxi
Raajadharshini @mean_kaari
Kamila Rustambekova @kamilarustambekova
Kianuë Tran Kiêu @kianuetrankieu

About Baesianz:

Baesianz is a London-based collective and platform that celebrates Asian artists from all over the globe, founded in 2019. Born from a shared need to nurture their Asian roots and uplift Asian communities, the collective highlights Asian artists through multidisciplinary events including exhibitions, film screenings, workshops, radio shows, artist residencies, and audio-visual performances. The collective curates and exhibits the art and voices of Asians living both within and outside of Asia to create an evolving archive that can be experienced by all.

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