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September 6, 2018 was etched in Indian history as the day when love triumphed. At 11:30 am that morning, the Supreme Court issued its verdict on Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) subsequently decriminalising homosexuality and gay sex. This verdict was groundbreaking for all those who have lived with concealed identities all their lives and a massive step forward towards redefining the meaning of democracy for India. As historical as the ruling was, it still is important to recognise how the verdict was unfortunately only the beginning of the rather long battle for equality.
To put things into context, it was only in 2014 that the Indian Psychiatric Society state that homosexuality was neither an illness nor a disease that could be treated. Even so, The National Crime Records Bureau reports that 1,148 complaints were filed under Section 377 that same year. The number of complaints shot up to 2,187 in 2016.
A major feat with respect to this battle for equality would be changing the society’s deep-rooted heteronormative mindsets, and that is what 22-year-old Gursukhan Singh Sidhu is doing with his photo-series Querencia. To better understand what went into the making of this photo-series, Homegrown spoke with Gursukhan about Querencia, which is an insight into how queer people navigate love, relationships, romance, and intimacy in a society that still struggles to accept their love.
HG: Tell us about how you developed an interest in photography and how it has evolved?
Gursukhan: I had a natural inclination towards art and painting in school. I used to paint a lot, but as I grew up, I felt I wasn’t able to put to paper my vision, the way I wanted to. The first photograph I clicked was a portrait of my brother, and this was when I was all of three. Also, I got an iPod Touch when I was a teenager, which further fueled my interest in photography and also helped me put my creative instincts to better use.
Today, I’d describe my style of work as being dreamy, visual poetry of sorts.
HG: What inspired you to shoot Querencia and what is it that you’ve tried to convey through the photo-series?
Gursukhan: Homegrown’s post on Instagram looking for submission for the project HG Queer Intimacy inspired me to do this photo series, although I always wanted to do something on these lines, HG’s callout acted as the catalyst. Querencia is synonymous with home, fondness and strengthening. It best described my vision; two people who are each other’s safe place, strengthening power and favourite spot. Also, the word aptly matched the emotions I wanted to convey through this series. I wanted to portray the authenticity and normalcy of being a queer couple in a world where it is still objected. Through my photos I’ve tried to signify the warmth and comfort shared by two individuals and their co-existence through the quotidian events of life.
HG: What was your initial vision for the project? How did it evolve through the course of you conceptualising and shooting it?
Gursukhan: My vision was to show two individuals sharing a comfortable space, thats it. I did not want the viewers to judge the proximity between my subjects as something preached for a particular community, but to realise that this proximity can be between any two humans away from the question of belonging to a particular community or not. I wanted the viewers to rise up from the concept of how humans should behave subject to some communal guidelines, because now if they might accept LGBTQIA community, it’ll take us the same amount of effort to open up their minds to some other community that might arise next, which defeats the whole purpose.
HG: Describe to us what the process leading up to the project entail?
Gursukhan: The process started with the ideation which was on lines of the vision I’d developed for the project, trying to connect the vision in my head to the physical space. I wanted to capture the couple in their natural setting, in their own house, around their own furniture and setting, around the same time when they normally come back home from work, so that they don’t have to enact but just be, for the authenticity in the photos. I also made red light and low-lighting an integral part of the whole shoot, which gave character and depth to the photographs. A few photographs show the subjects relatively blurred, with the aim to shred as much context as possible from the photograph so that the viewers can relate to the silhouette, to the moment, and not see the subject as a different person.
HG: What impact were you looking to have with the series and have you received the desired response?
Gursukhan: When I wanted people to look at my pictures, I wanted them to just pause for a moment and think of how human and pure it is to love someone, irrespective of their gender or sexuality. I wanted the viewers to feel the same warmth that the subjects feel when they are in their safe space and yes, I did get a lot of good responses.
HG: Did the Section 377 judgement influence the series in any way? If yes, how?
Gursukhan: I had always been aware of the wrongs in the society and as an artist, I wanted to capture them and spread more awareness.The oppression caused by Section 377 was also in my list of works that I wanted to do, but the judgement was my catalyst. It gave me a lot of assuring stories as people came out confidently with their sexualities, it gave me a lot of material to capture, a lot of stories to portray and thus this series. The passing of the judgement just gave me the required motivation and accelerated the process. It felt like it was a sign, really.
HG: Do you think the impact and response to your photo series would’ve been the same before the Section 377 judgement was passed?
Gursukhan: I had planned this series long before the judgement was passed. The vision was already there and it was broader than the Section 377 judgement. It was more about the fervour and emotion behind it. It was more about how something like this, a series portraying a sense of ‘querencia’ between a queer couple, is put out in a world where it is still looked down upon. What I wanted people to feel would still be the same. So yes, I do think that i would expect the same response that i have received now from the photographs, though I think that more people got awareness on this topic post judgement thus they must have related better to the project.
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