Nowhereland explores the porous boundary between the real and the constructed and how image-making shapes our understanding of place and identity. I worked on a Bollywood film set in rural Maharashtra, documenting the recreation of an Angolan village for a production that could not shoot in Angola due to the political instability there.

A strikingly diverse cast — Black Portuguese leads, Nigerian, Kenyan, Tanzanian, Eritrean and Siddhi extras — was assembled to represent a generalised “African” presence. I focused my lens on the moments between rehearsals, when genuine human bonds emerged within an entirely fabricated environment.

Shot entirely on black-and-white film, the work carries the tactility, grain and patience of analog photography, allowing me to slow down and observe these interactions with care. Although the scene was ultimately never used in the film, I kept the negatives, preserving a record of this fleeting, constructed reality. Through these images I invite viewers to question authenticity, representation and the politics of cinematic illusion.