kee_kunnath

#wip #intervention

Blessings, sacrifices and offerings . . #wip

Cover story for @tmagazine Thankyou @nadiavellam for this commission

Thrilled to share that I’ve been selected as one of this year’s British Fashion Council NEW WAVE: Creatives 2024. @britishfashioncouncil Such an honour be on the list of 50 most innovative and inspiring young creatives talents from around the world.

Some portraits from last Eid at Calicut Trans home 💕

Thankyou @cultured_mag and @wepresent 🙏🏽🙏🏽

Produced, street casted and photographed for NBNW in Kerala 🫧🌶️. . . #ctype #handprinted #fashion

Summer love . . . Img 5- ‘Spit’ by Ruby Opalka Images commissioned by @theatlantic Ft @hannah_samaddar Beauty @kateoreillymakeup Printed at @rapideye.darkroom

Mother and her world

@hannah_samaddar shot on a hot summer day for an assignment for @theatlantic . HMUA @kateoreillymakeup 💕

Estd Talent: Keerthana Kunnath ( @kee_kunnath ) is an Indian-born, London-based photographer who uses photography to address sexuality, queerness, womanhood, and mental health—topics that are not often discussed in her homeland of Kerala. “Growing up in Calicut, I noticed a significant lack of conversations around queerness, which sparked my curiosity about the ‘other.’ This absence of dialogue made it challenging to relate to these aspects of identity. I’m sure many others shared similar experiences. The normalisation of gender binary though our families, society, as well as mainstream media had almost convinced us about the ‘duties’ and ‘values’ we imbibe as women.” Having dealt with mental health challenges, Keerthana believes exposure to queer relationships and fluidity in lifestyle choices could have made a significant difference. “Photography lets me document and express these conflicted thoughts, experiences, and stories. They then serve as visual diaries that challenge heteronormative structures,” she shares.  Keerthana was always fascinated by the indigenous and traditional art forms innate to Kerala. She would watch performances at family temples or the cinema and then create narratives and backstories around them. Oftentimes, she would paint those scenarios. After moving to London, she now finds herself returning home at every opportunity to tell the stories of people who have been sidelined or who are simply trying to make life happen.
 Keerthana discovered photography along the way, rather serendipitously. She started her career as a creative head at a jewellery brand, where she picked up photography as a hobby, slowly transitioning into a full-time profession. “Initially it was all about making technically beautiful pictures, as I didn’t know any better. But photography has been a powerful medium that has helped me heal from past traumas. It enables me to connect with people, hear their stories, and translate them into images that speak to others—it is such a joy. I’ve often been moved by works of other photographers from the past as well as my contemporaries.” 📸: Keerthana Kunnath ( @kee_kunnath ) #estdtalent #photography #identity

A mini 🦄 for yaaa 🥺