Photo Project: A Tranimal Drag Piece by Supranav Das

Some collaborations go beyond art—they become portals of deep resonance, memory, and transformation. My recent journey to Kolkata led me to such an experience when I finally met the incredibly talented visual artist Supranav Das in person. What began as an Instagram connection blossomed into one of the most fulfilling and creatively liberating shoots I’ve ever done.

I had admired Supranav’s work from afar—his use of lighting, texture, and dreamlike spaces always struck a chord in me. So when I knew I was traveling to Bengal, I reached out. “Let’s make something together,” I said. And he replied with the same openness and curiosity. That’s how the seeds of this collaboration were sown.

Supranav invited me to his studio—though calling it a studio feels far too modest. It was more like stepping into a surreal museum of forgotten dreams. A hybrid of an art gallery, a living archive, and a playroom for the imagination. There were installations, props, masks, dolls, fabrics, and shadows—all waiting to be reimagined. For someone like me, whose drag is deeply performative and tactile, it felt like home.

I was drawn to the corners where chaos met beauty. From that pile of miniatures and trinkets, I picked out specific pieces and began creating. What emerged was my interpretation of stranimal drag—a form I’ve been nurturing, one that breaks away from glam and leans into the grotesque, the alien, the theatrical. A drag form that unbinds the binary and embraces the strange.

The shoot itself happened in under two hours, but it felt timeless. Supranav lit the space in deep black and electric blue—a palette that brought my drag creature to life. The shadows danced. My body merged with the art. The props became extensions of myself. It wasn’t just a photoshoot; it was a ritual of becoming.

Beyond the frames, Supranav and I exchanged stories about drag’s ever-expanding boundaries, how queerness is perceived across mediums, and why performance is protest. His lens didn’t just capture me; it celebrated the in-betweenness, the becoming, the unbecoming.

What I carry from this shoot isn’t just a series of images (though they are stunning). It’s the joy of co-creating with someone who sees art as a shared language. It’s a reminder that drag—especially forms like stranimal—deserve spaces that are not just safe, but sacred. Spaces that allow you to fall apart, rebuild, and exist without explanation.

Thank you, Supranav Das, for holding space, for allowing play, and for being such an incredible host and collaborator. This remains one of the most creatively nourishing collaborations I’ve had—and I hope this photo essay does justice to the journey we shared.