B. DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY, 1971; LIVES BROOKLYN, NY
Marc Ohrem-Leclef’s work explores themes of identity and belonging, in particular where their mainstream representations perpetuate inequalities. His practice manifests in long-term collaborations, employing documentary and performative modes. The series exhibited here, “Zameen Aasman Ka Farq” (“As far apart as the Earth is from the Sky”) (2016–present), contemplates the affection between Indian men—the holding of hands, interlocking of pinkies, or the intimate leaning into one another. This physical touch offers a window into the complexities of friendship, love, sexuality and queerness.
In photographs and texts, Ohrem-Leclef visualizes the many forms love takes on for his collaborators, from the open and socially accepted to the unspoken. Individuals across the gender, class and religious spectrum share how they experience touch, its importance and evolving norms—both expanding and constricting—amid LGBTQ+ identity politics. Seated together in their rooms, in fields, and in parks, many speak of the “love that flows” when they hold a friend’s hand in certain ways. “Zameen” archives a profoundly human desire to connect through touch. What is perceived as “queer” or “traditional” remains in flux, set against rapidly-shifting standards and differing gazes. Ultimately, Ohrem-Leclef looks to the spaces his collaborators carve out for themselves, irrespective of labels.
This installation is part of the exhibition Parallel Lives: Photography, Identity, and Belonging, curated by Maya Benton. Parallel Lives draws attention to complex notions of community and belonging, and in particular how our social and familial relationships have been reimagined as a result of the conditions of isolation and uncertainty imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Photo: Marc Ohrem-Leclef, A class photo, near Chamundeswari Devi Temple, 2018