Asafe Ghalib (they/them) is an artist born in 1990 in Nilópolis, on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and has lived in London since 2013. They work primarily with photography, in collaboration with the LGBTQIA+ community. A self-taught artist, Ghalib explores their own identity and relationship with the environment they inhabit, using photography as a means of survival and a way to tell stories that are often overlooked. Coming from a family and a religious background, Asafe’s work embraces rebellio n as an act of reclaiming their own identity and history. They are known for images that challenge dominant ideas about masculinity, gender, sexuality, and the representation of LGBTQIA+ people in the UK.
In 2021, Asafe was among the winners of the “Ones to Watch” at the Photo London fair at Somerset House and created the cover of Story for the British Journal of Photography. That same year, Creative Review’s editorial team selected them as one of the most influential photographers of the past 12 months, awarding them the Zeitgeist winner title. In 2022, they were among the winners of the Annual Photography Awards 2021. In 2023, they won first prize in the Profifoto New Talent Award 23/1 in Germany, and in 2 024 they exhibited at the Melbourne & Victoria International Photography Festival – Photo 2024 and at Pride Photo 2024 in Amsterdam.
