Political Pandora

What began in the shadows of queer underground culture as a subversive celebration of identity has, over the decades, been transfigured into something far more palatable and considerably less dangerous. The evolution of camp in film tells a tale, not merely of aesthetic evolution, but of cultural assimilation, where the radical edge of theatrical transgression has been dulled by gradual mainstream appropriation.

Hollywood’s recent run of musician films seems to show more than just an interest in music. But can the modern music biopic still surprise us, or has it simply given in, step by step, to the predictable demands of awards season as the infamous ‘Oscar bait’?

The ambience of Spain’s bustling streets, usually filled with vibrant music, laughter and warmth, now echoes the discordant sounds of protesters and perplexing scenes of water pistols being aimed at tourists as their idyllic vacations to the country turn into waking nightmares for both them and the Spanish locals protesting their influx.

A critical examination of the integrity of the colour film production proves necessary to uncover the racism embedded in the process of this technology and the cultural use of cameras to reinforce racial hierarchies.

In a world where innovation is the default setting and creativity is currency, artists are voluntarily opting for non-conventional ways of displaying art—digital exhibitions, interactive spaces, self-publishing, Instagram galleries, etc. With this shift towards breaking out of traditional institutions rather than breaking in, creators seem to be finding solace in the autonomy that non-traditional institutions introduce, and the question of where art belongs has never been mor

Every Sunday, I retreat to my terrace, where time softens and the world slows. Among the trees, I unlearn the urgency capitalism demands and remember what it means to simply exist. Inspired by Sumana Roy’s concept of ‘Tree Time,’ this piece reflects on stillness as a radical act—an invitation to resist the ticking clock and embrace a gentler, cyclical rhythm of life, where being, not doing, is enough.

Feminism, long before the first wave, manifested itself in the small village roads on the banks of the river Chenab. These manifestations continue to resonate through Punjab’s tradition of storytelling, termed Qissas, meaning ‘stories’.

Are you a ‘trad wife’, ‘sapphic’, or ‘enby’? As in gameplay, social media has the liberatory effect of being an open realm of possibilities.

One needs to explore how the discourse around “saving” Muslim women, in particular, often comes from a colonial, culturally superior gaze that strips them of their agency. Instead, by using the distinct lens of radical films like Joyland and Seed of the Sacred Fig, we see how gender, sexuality, artistic expression and resistance take shape in very specific cultural and political realities.

Third spaces can very organically turn into civic spaces, as civic spaces are the environments that “enable civil society to play a role in the political, economic, and social well-being of our societies, particularly by contributing to policy-making that affects their lives”, according to the OHCHR. The nature of third spaces encourages free-flowing discussion, including that of politics, making them de facto civic spaces. 

While Viviani is often forgotten by many, his work serves as a lens into an Italy of the time. An Italy that was built on a violent mythologized past, one that led the way to fascism.

The metaphor of grass, flowers, and seeds frequently appears in literature, especially poetry—sometimes as a political statement or merely a

This piece was originally published in the November 2024 issue  of Pandora Curated. In the aftermath of the devastating four-year Khmer...

400 days into a brutal genocide of the Palestinian people, with testimonials of the survivors in Gaza growing more horrifying every day, Isr

Three hundred families—more than a thousand people—left their homes of over a  century when they evacuated a sinking Gardi Sugdub to the coa

For generations, the Gurung community in central Nepal has engaged in the ancient and perilous tradition of honey hunting. This practice, wh

The use of music to voice political concerns is not a novel concept. The sphere of music was just as much a catalyst for change in the past

Photography is always a deliberate act. One of including and excluding, of focusing and defocusing. Of picking and cropping, colouring, fix

Walk through the main roads of any metropolitan-esque city and the playful slashes of graffiti will welcome you, burgeoning in colour on the

Climate change’s disproportionate impact on poorer neighbourhoods