Photographers

Asafe Ghalib (born 1990 in Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian‑born, London‑based visual artist and self‑taught photographer whose work centers the narratives, resilience, and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ communities. Working primarily in portraiture and collaborative storytelling, Ghalib explores themes of identity, migration, queerness, religion, and the negotiation of personal and social freedom. Their practice emerged as a form of survival and self‑definition, shaped by growing up in a religious environment where gender expression and sexuality were tightly constrained. Photography became a tool for rebellion, reclamation, and the creation of space for queer visibility.

Since relocating to London in 2013, Ghalib has developed a body of work that confronts dominant representations of masculinity, gender, and queerness, focusing particularly on queer and trans immigrants navigating displacement and belonging. Their projects often use intimate portraiture and stylized aesthetics to subvert stereotypes, celebrate identity, and foreground voices historically marginalized in visual culture. Series such as *Queer Immigrants* and *Amor Ameaçado (Love at Risk)* combine personal narrative with sociopolitical critique, emphasizing vulnerability, resistance, and community care.

Ghalib has received several international recognitions, including being named one of Photo London’s “Ones to Watch” (2021), a Zeitgeist winner by the Creative Review editorial team, and a recipient of the Profifoto New Talent Award. Their work has been exhibited at Photo 2024 (Melbourne/Victoria), Pride Photo Amsterdam, and in multiple editorial platforms including *British Journal of Photography*, *Dazed*, *Gay Times*, and *Hunger Magazine*. In addition to their photographic career, Ghalib works across video and editorial production, expanding their lens‑based storytelling into new forms. Their photography continues to explore the complexities of queer existence with a blend of tenderness, aesthetic experimentation, and political urgency.