In Between Pink Balloons

In Between Pink Balloons is a photograph that offers a personal and poignant meditation on the complexities of belonging and the often-unseen isolation hidden within communities. Captured at a recent Pink Dot event in Singapore, the photograph presents a vibrant display of pink balloons adorning a flight of stairs. While the initial impression might lean towards celebratory joy, we're potentially invited to a deeper consideration of the distances that can exist even within seemingly unified groups.

The deliberate use of colour is a big departure from my usual black and white photograph, and the various saturations of pink shades amplifies the visual impact and the inherent vibrancy associated with pride. But I made a point to explore the composition; making use of a downward perspective emphasizing the receding stairs. Over time the pink balloons, arranged with careful consideration, become a metaphor for the diverse and sometimes segregated subgroups within the LGBT community. They begin to unravel the quiet racial power dynamics that marinate over our sexual preferences, and expose the performative aspects of participating in the discourse for the pursuit of clout and culture. All of this, simmering beneath the surface, overshadows the genuine connection the community aims to find.

And the title highlights this. Because these pink balloons symbolise both the collective identity of the LGBT community but also - the smaller, often unspoken divisions within it. I like that the photograph explores the feelings of detachment and loneliness that can accompany participation – or lack of it – within a collective narratives or current discourse. We end up asking: who am I, who are they, within this community? Do I fit in? Are we less queer for not actively participating? Are we more queer for being more visible within it?

Through careful depth of field and perspective, In Between Pink Balloons create a sense of spatial distance, mirroring the emotional distance that can exist even in moments of shared celebration. The viewer is invited to move beyond the surface-level joy and hopefully confront the underlying complexities of identity, belonging, and the often-unseen struggles within a community striving for unity.

And so we might be left with this bittersweet feeling. A fleeting glimpse of celebratory colour juxtaposed with a deeper sense of emptiness and detachment. Perhaps even in spaces designed for affirmation, the experience of isolation and the search for genuine connection can still, and ever so quietly, persist.