Photo: Zane Qureshi, 2026, courtesy of the artist.
February 5 - March 19, 2027
Opening night: Friday, February 12, 6-8pm
Gallery I, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta
Free entry, all welcome
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You can find Where Are You (Really) From? in Gallery I, located at The Mill, 154 Angas St, Kaurna Yarta (Adelaide).
The Mill’s galleries are open Monday-Friday, 10am-4pm.
Accessibility
The Mill’s entrance has a small step into the building. We have a ramp available, please ring the doorbell and our friendly team will assist you.
During gallery hours, our entrance will be unlocked. If the door is closed, please ring the doorbell to alert our team.
The Mill has concrete flooring throughout with no internal steps and a disability toilet on site.
Read more in-depth information on our accessibility web page.
We are excited to present Where Are You (Really) From? a new photographic exhibition by Zane Qureshi exploring identity, culture and belonging. This exhibition is an outcome of our Photographer in residence, presented with support from the Ana and Christopher Koch Foundation, and Black and White Photographic.
In this exhibition emerging photographer Zane Qureshi presents a series of intimate portraits of young creatives, artists and models. Each portrait explores the subjects own ties to cultural identity through personal style, objects and locations. Inspired by his own experiences growing up as an American-Australian with Greek and Pakistani heritage, Zane’s new body of work opens conversations about growing up in Australia as a person of colour. Zane builds layers of meaning through colour, texture and lighting- the series jumps between locations in Adelaide’s uniquely recognisable farmland, to fashion-led studio photography, and then on to one of his subject’s heavily curated bedrooms. Through these snapshots audiences get an intimate introduction to each of Zane’s subjects, allowing us to more deeply connect with the rich self-expression and cultural pride of diverse young Australians.
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Where Are You (Really) From? is a reflective portrait series exploring identity, culture and belonging through personal storytelling and contemporary portrait and fashion photography.
The title is inspired by my experiences growing up as an American-Australian with Greek and Pakistani heritage. After moving from New York to Adelaide at age eight, I was often asked, “Where are you from?” When I answered “America” or “Australian-American,” the conversation would often continue with, “But where are you really from?” While these interactions might seem minor, they reflected assumptions about race and belonging that shaped how I understood my identity throughout adolescence.
As I’ve grown and connected with more culturally diverse Australians, particularly creatives, I’ve realised these moments are far from unique. Many people from multicultural backgrounds face similar questions and the feeling of having their identity reduced to their appearance. This project grew from a desire to explore these shared moments while celebrating the individuality and richness of multicultural identities.
Working with POC artists, models and creatives across Australia, I began every portrait with an intimate conversation to better understand their background, experiences and relationship with identity. At the end of our discussions, I asked about their dream photoshoot or something true to them that they had always wanted to create. From there, I developed a shoot around what was shared, working together on styling, hair, makeup, clothing, objects and locations to create something that felt authentic to the individual and their background.
These conversations opened my eyes even further to the realities of growing up as a person of colour. Hearing these personal accounts brought up difficult memories, but I also found comfort in recognising parts of my own journey in theirs. The process became more than creating an image; it was an opportunity to connect, share and build something together.
Over the past two years, I’ve used a combination of digital and analogue photography to develop the series in the studio and on location. Colour, texture and lighting played a big part in bringing every subject to life. I used strobe flash alongside artificial and natural light for studio and on-location shoots, while outdoor photos relied on natural sunlight and a reflector to keep the environment feeling true to how it appeared in person.
Some images are more colourful and fashion-photography-led, focusing on hair, makeup and styling choices that hold deeper meaning for the subject. Others are stripped back, focusing on composition, posing and the individual. My practice often draws on nostalgia, culture, identity and creativity, and this project pushed me to explore new locations and ways of working while creating visuals that feel raw and intimate, but still fun and expressive.
Every piece is distinct, reflecting the people, places, clothing and objects that hold meaning for the subject. The works are exhibited together, with visually connected images presented alongside one another. The visuals are accompanied by a written account and biography from my perspective, sharing the subject’s identity and how we worked together to bring their narrative to life. Together, the works create a collective picture of multicultural Australia without suggesting there is only one way to experience culture or belonging.
As someone who also creates and designs magazines, I’ve always loved print media and the way photographs can exist beyond a screen. I’m used to sharing my shoots on social media, but with this project, I wanted to keep the work private until the exhibition and allow it to be experienced together.
Beyond the exhibition, I hope the project will become a lasting photographic archive documenting the identities and lived experiences of multicultural Australians, keeping these narratives visible and creating an enduring resource for dialogue, learning and cultural understanding.
At its heart, Where Are You (Really) From? is about identity, self-expression and the importance of being able to define yourself. By combining contemporary editorial photography with personal stories and community voices, the project challenges assumptions about where people belong and what it means to be Australian. Through these portraits, I wanted to celebrate each individual on their own terms and create work that feels true to their story. Ultimately, I believe only we can truly define ourselves, and I hope this project creates space for people to be seen, understood and celebrated.
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Zane Qureshi is a photographer, designer, and multidisciplinary creative born in New York and raised between Brooklyn and Adelaide. Influenced by nostalgia, identity, self-expression, and culture, his practice moves fluidly across fashion, portrait & editorial photography, shot with digital, film and polaroids.
Central to Qureshi’s approach is a deliberate balance between structured creative direction and intuition. Whether directing high-fashion editorial sets, shooting in a garage or a bedroom, or capturing live performances, he approaches image-making as a collaborative dialogue, allowing for organic, unscripted moments within meticulously framed environments. His work relies heavily on texture, light, and raw intimacy, transforming quiet personal narratives into striking visual studies.
Beyond image-making, Qureshi’s practice extends into building and promoting creative communities. He is the founder, designer, and publisher of FRND Magazine, an independent publication for creatives, by creatives, in which he documents emerging artists and subcultures. He also founded FRND Models, a casting and management agency created to champion non-traditional and diverse talent. Through his solo work and dual brands, Qureshi creates an ecosystem centred on authentic storytelling and cultural documentation.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through Creative Australia, its principal arts investment and advisory body
