Museum of Asian Texans: Diaspora Junkie by Alavia Khawaja

     Friday marked the opening night for Diaspora Junkie - the first solo photography showcase by local Dallas artist, Alavia Khawaja, at the Museum of Asian Texans, curated and hosted by TYC Veronica.

Museum of Asian Texas - featuring Diaspora Junkie

     Tucked away beneath the iconic South Side of Lamar, is an arrangements of spaces, including a coffee shop, a convenience store, and the Museum of Asian Texans, a space dedicated to highlighting the work of local artists of Asian descent. They've hosted an array of galleries, including for journalist and traditional martial artist, Yakuub Ira. Most recently, they hosted a community ensemble of pieces themed around Dallas City Hall as part of the campaign Save City Hall.

     Alavia Khawaja is a NYC-born, Dallas-raised multimedia artist that is obsessed with finding footing in the diaspora. Even as a child, Alavia has had the camera in her hand whenever available. Constantly exploring the battle between balancing Eastern and Western culture, her photography showcases a vision akin to those seen in printed childhood photos from her life in New York. 

Khawaja's artist photo, featuring her floppy disk camera

     September 25th marked the first night to view Khawaja's work publicly, usually only showcasing her pieces online. Her artist talk opened up with imagery of family dawats, longing to be one of the older kids, floppy disk cameras, and her general upbringing as a Filipina-Pakistani is Queens and Long Island.

     At first glance, one is greeted by shifting images of traditional jewelry, mehndi, textiles, and color. Khawaja's pieces present cultural imagery front and center. Blended with moody lighting and haze, and to an extent -- degeneracy, Khawaja aims to convey her vision of the photos she would have taken if she had been just a little older in the 90's.

     Select pieces will now be available as prints in a variety of sizes. Check them out by clicking here.

A sneak preview of the showcase:

Kamayan II

Rajathani I

Dream-like

Nighttime Folly

You can catch Khawaja's work until October 23, 2026 at the Museum of Asian Texans! Big shout out to Stephanie of the Museum of Asian Texans, to TYC Veronica for hosting and curating, to DJ Bukotoast and DJ Coolero for spinning! 🥹 Dallas, a new wave of culture is crashing into the city. Let's go surfing ❖