Alex & I: Against Indifference

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Sumugan Sivanesan

Abstract

This text and photo essay concerns a series of portraits made with a community of Tamil refugees living in Bangkok who refer to themselves as ‘the Bachelors.’ The project was initiated by refugee and one-time media figure, Sanjeev ‘Alex’ Kuhendrarajah who hoped his peers would tell their own stories to an ‘international community.’ With reference to Judith Butler’s Frames of War (2009), I have sought to ‘discursively frame’ the images by considering the discrimination these young single men encounter living in the margins of this South Asian metropolis, awaiting the outcomes of their re-settlement applications.  

Article Details

Section
Articles (refereed)
Author Biography

Sumugan Sivanesan, Independent Scholar

Sumugan Sivanesan is a research focused artist whose texts, videos, installations, performances, interventions and events serve as a platform for discussion and collaboration. He completed a Doctorate of Creative Arts in 2014 at the Transforming Cultures research centre, University of Technology Sydney.