MAN UP Archive, USA
October 16 to 22, 2025
New York marked the first stop in the final journey for MAN UP. There, I interviewed Ethan and Yotam. Their experiences unfolded in different settings, but both revealed something central to this project: how violence can take place in close relationships.
These interviews marked the beginning of my six week journey across the world.
MAN UP Archive, Brazil
October 23 to November 8, 2025
Brazil was the second stop in the travel plan for the MAN UP project.
Across Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, I interviewed several queer men, including Fioravante, Dennis, and Alex. Their experiences unfolded in different settings, yet so many of the feelings they described echoed what I had already begun to recognise in my research.
The interviews also showed how cultural ideas around masculinity can shape what queer men feel able to name, share, or carry alone. A special thank you to Grupo Arco Iris and Claudio Nascimento for helping make these interviews possible.
MAN UP Archive, South Africa
November 9 to 17, 2025
Cape Town was the third stop in the travel plan for the MAN UP project.
There, I interviewed Matthew, whose story reflected how violence can unfold within family and trusted circles, and how difficult it can be to make sense of it when the people around you are connected.
During my time in Cape Town, I also spoke with The Pride Shelter and MOSAIC, which gave me a broader understanding of the local context around violence, support, and visibility.
Not everyone I interviewed in Cape Town felt ready to share their story publicly. That became part of the journey too: healing does not follow one timeline, and finding the words to speak can come long after the violence itself.
MAN UP Archive, Australia
November 18 to 24, 2025
From Cape Town, the journey for MAN UP continued to Sydney.
There, I interviewed Daniel and Marnix. Daniel shared his experience of violence within a past relationship. Marnix reflected on growing up in an abusive home, and on the ways early experiences can continue to shape intimacy later in life.
Their stories were different, but both showed how violence can leave a lasting imprint on trust, intimacy, and the way we move through relationships.
MAN UP Archive, Indonesia
November 25 to 29, 2025
Indonesia was the final stop in the 2025 travel plan for the MAN UP project.
During my time there, I spoke with four queer men about experiences that connected deeply to the themes of MAN UP. In the end, most did not feel ready to share their stories publicly. For some, the fear of people around them finding out about what had happened was too great.
That, too, became part of the project.
One of the four men I spoke to gave permission for his story to be included, but chose to remain anonymous. Out of respect for his privacy, I am only sharing an anonymous image connected to his story. The image offers a small glimpse of the physical aftermath of violence inflicted by a former partner.
MAN UP is not only about the stories that can be told. It is also about the stories that remain private, and the reasons why speaking can still feel unsafe. Healing does not follow one timeline, and finding the words to speak can come long after the violence itself.
Indonesia was also where I began bringing the exhibition together visually, working on the illustrations that trace the emotional cycle at the heart of MAN UP.
MAN UP Archive, India
New Delhi and Mumbai, April 1 to 30, 2023
India was where the journey behind MAN UP began.
At the time, I had not yet spoken openly about my own experience. I arrived wanting to listen, to understand, and to research a subject I had only just begun to approach myself.
The response was overwhelming. I received far more applications than I expected and spoke with eight queer men across the country. In the end, two stories remained part of the project: Surjeet’s and Harish’s.
Both shared experiences of sexual violence, alongside the silence and disbelief that can follow when someone tries to speak about what happened. Their stories gave me an early understanding of how cultural expectations and family pride can shape whether queer men feel believed, supported, or able to speak.
India became more than a research stop. It was where I began to understand that this project had to exist.
