Museum Late: Our Queer Nature – South Asia to South London
Connect with Horniman’s Gardens and immerse yourself in the power of nature to support our well being, health and happiness. You can expect music, food, workshops and celebration!
Schedule
6pm – 8pm – DJ Ritu
6pm – 8pm – Garland making and affirmation workshops
6.30pm – 7pm – Nature walk with Jazmeen Isa Qureshi and Horniman Gardeners
7pm – Propagation workshop with Horniman Gardeners
7pm – Meeting Mohini exhibition tour
6.30pm – 8pm – Exploring Beauty workshop with Swagatham
8pm – 8.30pm – Dances by Dosa Cat and Bolly Illusion
8.30pm – 9.30pm – DJ Ritu and party!
DJ Ritu Khurana
Dance the evening away with the South Asian award-winning icon DJ Ritu (she/her), as she spins world music tunes to make you move.
Dancer – Bolly-Illusion
Bolly Illusion (they/them)
Get captivated by illustrious dancer Bolly-Illusion (they/them) as they hypnotise you with their hips and enchant you as they sway.
Bolly-Illusion is a multidisciplinary artist embracing their British Malayalam influences through their creative work. A drag queen, host and model – there is nothing Bolly shies away from. You can find them at shows in and around East London’s cabaret scene as well as podcasts and interviews online.
Bolly is in Netflix’s “Unicorns” and Marvel’s “Eternals”. Publications include Vogue Italia, Gay Times and many more. Tim Walker has titled them “A Queer Trailblazer in 2026”.
Dancer – Dosa Cat
Fall in love with the dance of Dosa Cat (they/he), as they guide you through a story of romance and androgyny.
Nature Walk with Jazmeen Isa Qureshi and Errol Reuben Fernandes
Jazmeen Isa Qureshi (they/she) giving a talk
Walk the sunken garden with Jazmeen Isa Qureshi (they/she) and Errol Reuben Fernandes (he/him) (Head of Horticulture at the Horniman) to learn more about the queer and trans nature we have around us.
Jazmeen Isa Qureshi, is an interdisciplinary Phd-ing ‘Queering’ Ecologist, Poet, Facilitator, ‘escaped’ Marine biologist and Environmental Advisor. Their practice centres on reimagining relationships between people and the natural world through decolonial, community-led approaches, creating spaces for collective learning, care, and connection.
Jazmeen works across workshops, research, and public programming to challenge dominant environmental narratives and to foreground queer, diasporic, and more-than-human perspectives, specifically insects.
Exploring Beauty Workshop with Swagatham
Sign up on the day to a workshop with Swagatham’s Sanjay (he/they) and Manju (she/they/അവർ) – Un-fair & So Lovely: A playful dive into beauty, colour, and queerness through a South Indian and Sri Lankan lens. Swagatham say: “We’ll gently roast colourism for the nonsense it is, make space for each other’s stories, and have some fun with fabrics — maybe even a few small acts of making. Leave feeling heard, seen, and a little more in love with your own loveliness!”
Garland Making Workshop
A portrait of Sharan Dhaliwal (she/they)
Adorn yourself with garlands from this workshop with Sharan Dhaliwal (she/they) and the Horniman team, and become part of the Gardens around you.
Sharan Dhaliwal founded the UK’s leading South Asian culture magazine Burnt Roti, a local pride event, Middlesex Pride, and the Queer South Asian Archive. She is a journalist and author, and has had bylines in British Vogue, Independent, Guardian and was on the list of global influential women for the BBC 100 Women 2019. Their debut non-fiction, Burning My Roti, about how their Asian identity and queerness came up against capitalism and white supremacy, came out in March 2022 by Hardie Grant.
Affirmation Workshop with Sabah Choudhury
A portrait of Sabah Choudrey (they/he)
Join Sabah Choudrey (they/he) in a drop-in workshop to create your own affirmation cards, using flowers and inspiration from the Gardens.
Sabah Choudrey is an award-winning, reluctant activist on all things trans, brown, and hairy. They co-founded Trans Pride Brighton in 2013, the UK’s first trans pride event. They have spent a decade working with trans youth at Gendered Intelligence and co-founded Colours Youth Network. Now, they serve as a Director at Middlesex Pride and Vice Chair of Inclusive Mosque Initiative. A qualified psychotherapist, artist wellbeing practitioner, and DEI consultant, Sabah was named on the Diversity Power List 2025 and Attitude 101 2026 Trailblazers. Their TEDx talk Brown, Trans, Muslim and Proud has 103K+ views, and their book Supporting Trans People of Colour is out now. Interests also include fostering cats and bad selfies.
Meeting Mohini exhibition tour with Navjot Mangat (Horniman Senior Curator of Social Practice)
Join us to explore the stories behind the photographs in a tour of Meeting Mohini: Koovagam through the lens of Zoya Thomas Lobo, our inspiration for this Late. Led by exhibition curator, Navjot Mangat.
Food by En Root
Enjoy food by local South East London restaurant En Root. Bringing you delicious plant-based Indian fusion cuisine celebrating wholesome, flavoursome goodness.
The Horniman Cafe open for drinks and snacks.
Event Information
- This event is outside in the Horniman’s beautiful Gardens, please dress appropriately for the weather on the day.
Accessibility
- If you have access requirements and would like to speak to someone in advance of the event, please call 020 8699 1872 or email venuehire@horniman.ac.uk
- If you are a Blue Badge holder and would like to park onsite, please see our Access page for more details.
Terms and Conditions
- We may photograph or film small parts of the event and by entering, you are giving permission for these to be used by Horniman for promotional purposes.
