Part of the Desi Undead collection, Forbidden Love is a celebration of the queer love that is often shunned within the culture I was brought up in. Whilst not outwardly homophobic, my parents and community instilled in me the goal of ending up in a heteronormative marriage, becoming a loyal housewife, and providing children for my husband. I rejected this idea from an early age, but very quietly. Although I rebelled by having boyfriends, I was too afraid of the consequences of ever bringing up my queer identity to my family and most of my friends. Recently, I have connected with many queer South Asians and realised that our experiences, whilst not identical, were very similar in the way that we presented to our conservative families.

The added layer of being in a heteronormative marriage now complicates this further for me, as bi/pan-erasure is very much still present within our society. This is the first time I have publicly shown any indication of my identity as a queer South Asian woman, knowing that my family will no doubt come across this piece. This is my resurrection as an unapologetic, proud queer South Asian woman.

2480 × 3508px 300dpi

The Desi Undead collection features a series of explorations of my own cultural identity and how it has impacted my place in society and the world around me. The South Asian jewellery in this collection is a representation of my culture. The imagery of the undead signifies the idea of resurrection, where I was able to assert my independence and be reborn as my own person after being torn between British and South Asian cultures.