The Beauty in BIPOC may be depicted through the lens of modern cameras, but it highlights a problem that women of colour have been experiencing over many generations.
The pop-up exhibit is hosted by the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice (GRSJ) and showcases the photography of UBC students Guntas Kaur and Jaida Sanada, as well as UBC alumna Tamara Chang. It’s part of a larger project called @beautyinbipoc on Instagram — a photography collective for BIPOC women led by fourth-year GRSJ student Sarina Virani.
“On a lot of social media … you don't see a lot of women of colour represented, or a diverse set of women of colour,” said Virani. “I really enjoy being able to curate and showcase the work of other photographers who are women of colour at UBC.”
For Virani, this lack of representation in media was a large factor in her skewed sense of self growing up as a brown, Muslim woman. This project tries to deconstruct the beauty standards she felt she had to live by. She’s also currently working on the BIPOC Reading Buddies project at Vancouver Black Library, which pairs up kids with older mentors — together, they read books that centre BIPOC characters.
In The Beauty in BIPOC, Virani’s work tells the stories of UBC students through simplistic but beautiful headshots, while other photographers showcased more editorial-style photography. Each of the photographers’ visual narratives were distinct.
“We gave all of our photographers complete creative liberty to do what they wanted,” said Virani. “I think everyone had a really different approach, but that's what I really like about looking at all these different sections. It came together so beautifully, and you can see the artistic touch of each photographer.”
A personal favourite was Guntas Kaur’s work — photos that portrayed the models in a very authentic way, with Kaur’s focus being on her subjects or models as the “centre of their own narratives,” shaping a story based on what the models’ lives look like. The photos included closeups of model Aishwarya Puttur’s desi bangles, jhumkas and bindi, putting how proud she is of her culture into the spotlight, or showing Helen Mak as immersed in a photography session and practicing her craft. Kaur’s photographs brought our attention back to the beauty in these women’s lives, not just their appearances.
All the models wrote about their personal connections to the theme of the exhibit, which were included alongside their photographs. The experiences were diverse, as the project featured women from different parts of the world.
As a GRSJ student, Virani often has conversations in her classes about representation and activism, and wanted to create a concrete project that would propel these ideas out into the world, beginning with the UBC community.
“I think this was really nice because we got to bring something that was on social media and bring it to life where people can actually physically see it … It'd be awesome if we're able to do future exhibits… where we take things from the digital and bring [them] into real life,” Virani said.
The exhibition carries out their aim of showcasing digital media in a physical print format rather beautifully. While this exhibit only works with photography, Virani would love to expand in the future by highlighting other mediums of art, wanting to connect art and activism even further through her work.
“We talk a lot about taking theory and putting it into action. So I wanted to do something tangible. And I think it's a really nice way to bridge like art and activism together,” she said.
According to Virani, this is the first time the GRSJ Institute has showcased student artwork, and it is a great selection that delves into the personal stories of people you may know, about issues you may not know they’ve faced. If you are a BIPOC woman, there’s something magical about seeing photographs of people who look like you and I, printed on glossy photographs and proudly put up on walls for everyone to see.
Until March 28, this exhibition can be found on the tenth floor of Buchanan Tower. While it is in a slightly hidden spot, you can stop by if you happen to be in the building for office hours — or just for fun.
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