EXPLORING INDIAN IDENTITY AND REPRESENTATION
7 November to 20 December 2026
CURATED BY HITA THACKER
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE INDIAN AND WHO GETS TO DEFINE IT?
You’re Indian, Aren’t You? is a contemporary photography exhibition exploring the complexities of Indian identity and representation in the diaspora. It opens to the public on 7 November 2026 at XYZ Photo Gallery, Docklands, Melbourne. Curated by 21-year-old University of Melbourne student Hiya Thacker, the exhibition brings together photographic works that examine the many ways Indianness is experienced and understood.
The exhibition takes its title from a question: “You’re Indian, aren’t you?” A seemingly simple question, it raises deeper considerations around identity, lived experience and the expectations attached to cultural backgrounds. What does it mean to be recognised as Indian? How do personal experiences of culture intersect with the ways others perceive us?
Through more than 50 photographs by a selection of contemporary photographers, the exhibition explores themes including tradition, clothing, craft and religion. Together, the works move beyond a singular definition of Indianness. The exhibition invites audiences to reflect on the assumptions, memories and lived experiences that shape cultural identity. Photography becomes a means of looking beyond surface-level recognition, revealing the nuances and contradictions that exist within individual and collective understandings of belonging.
For Hiya Thacker, the exhibition also marks a significant milestone in her own creative journey as an emerging creative. Bringing together artists and photographic perspectives, the project creates space for conversations around how Indian identity is represented and reimagined within contemporary visual culture.
Exhibition: You’re Indian, Aren’t You?
Curator: Hiya Thacker
Dates: 7 November – 20 December 2026 Times: 1-5 pm Thursday – Sunday
Venue: XYZ Photo Gallery, 312/757 Bourke St, Hill, Entry on Batman’s Hill Drive, Docklands, VIC 3008
Names of artists:
George Koruth
Chetan Verma
Arbab Kamal Khan
Zufishan Rahman
Mayuri Kataria
Anai Bharucha
Danish Mansuri
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