Simrah Farrukh is an American-Pakistani photographer and designer, and senior student based in California. Her photography is a mixture of portraiture and fashion that explores womanhood, identity and social issues within South Asian cultures. Her projects are driven by women’s empowerment and are “in response to the lack of brown representation in western art and fashion”
Despite growing up in an affluent, predominantly white suburb in California, Pakistani culture was an integral part of Farrukh’s upbringing. Thanks to her cultural roots, she was able to integrate “the colours and language of being Pakistani” into her craft.
Through photography, Farrukh has learned to embrace her heritage and identity as an American-Pakistani and dedicates her work to representing marginalised groups. Influenced by the multitude of encounters with discriminations that people of colour face, Farrukh’s projects are about the experiences of the South Asian diaspora.
Her photography is a direct response to the bigotry she felt and witnessed around the time of President Trump’s election in 2016. Feeling dissatisfied with the way in which marginalised communities are viewed, Farrukh aims to represent their strength, resilience and humanity through her work.
In her photo series and short film ‘Ek Ladki’ Farrukh tells the story of Sufi and Anjali’s relationship, in an effort to normalise LGBTQIA+ relationships for the South Asian diaspora which Farrukh says “sometimes struggle to accept them.”
Her proudest work ‘Daughters’ is a collaborative project with her own mother who is heard singing a cover of ‘Mere Ghar Aayi Ek Nanhi Pari’ in the short film. For the project, Farrukh shot Kiran and Keerit, whom she had worked with earlier for a series about sisterhood, alongside their mother Prabhjot. The project explores the bonds between a mother and her daughters and has garnered acclaim for its relatability and authenticity.
In her photo series ‘The Underrepresented’ Farrukh draws attention to colourism within western media and South Asian culture and challenges it directly.
“I simply wanted to help bring representation of darker skinned girls into the media, so that somewhere in the world, when a girl of the same skin colour comes across these photos, she too can feel that she is a work of art.”
Not only does Farrukh give a voice and face to dark-skinned South Asian women, she offers real representation of the diverse and nuanced identities that exist within the South Asian diaspora.
Subscribe to FIB’s newsletter for your weekly dose of music, fashion and pop culture news!
