A writer, researcher and photographer based in Delhi, Raqeeb had always wanted to present an antithesis to the mainstream representation of masculinity and sexuality through his art. Hailing originally from Kolkata, Raqeeb has carved out a niche in exploring issues around masculinity, sexuality and gender in his photographic work, while also writing on queerness, belonging, migration and body image issues.
Speaking about his recent project, ‘Autumn in Kolkata,’ he says, “Anyone who has grown up in Kolkata would always look forward to Autumn, as it brings the cultural festivities surrounding Durga Puja, Diwali and much more with it.”
Visually one of the most beautiful seasons, ‘Autumn’, he feels, should be cherished for as long as it stays, since it has a very short shelf life. In fact, his photo story itself ties back to the idea of Autumn as only a transitory period in one’s life. There’s a sense of an ending, along with a sense of a new beginning, as the trees shed their leaves and anticipate the blossoming of new ones. Raqeeb has used this theme of ‘Autumn’ commonly seen in literature as the pivotal motif of his work through a non-binary take on love and sexuality.
Raqeeb claims that he doesn’t necessarily want to disrupt any discourse on love and sexuality by portraying a non-binary couple, but just wants to represent queer love in all its little moments of intimacy and joy. It is a little disturbing to him that intimacy is only appealing to people when presented through a love affair between heterosexual couples.
His work tries to subvert the notion of masculinity and heteronormative sexuality by questioning the standards set upon by society. “The idea of fitting ourselves into restrictive boxes has always been an area of inquisition for me,” says Raqeeb.
His Instagram page @daintystrangerphotos started as a personal repository of images in which Raqeed explored his own issues of body-image and masculinity, and which slowly grew into a collaborative project with numerous people participating and telling their stories.
Raqeeb has worked on numerous projects focusing on polyamorous relationships, as well as unexplained, unlabelled relationships which put forth an alternative holistic view of love as a concept of inclusivity and intimacy. Most of his shoots involve long periods of conversations about life, experiences, love, loss and other things. Hence, some of those experiences also seep into the concept and frames. The work, ‘Autumn in Kolkata’ is also heavily influenced by personal experiences embodying the general transience of human relationships.
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