Kharabat Vol. 1 Launches in London, Paris & NYC
by Khajistan Cultural Desk
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Khajistan Press invites you to the launch of Kharabat Vol. 1 at Reference Point, London; Noosh Bar, Paris; Storm Books & Candy, NYC; and Printed Matter, NYC. This powerful new volume, curated by Tehran-based artist and archivist Farhad Qashqai, explores the lives and aesthetics of Iran’s Lūtis—working-class men whose intimate, defiant, and hypermasculine presence echoes across both real and digital world.
Sourced from personal archives and contemporary social media, Kharabat documents a subculture where bodybuilders pose with pigeons, men hold hands, embrace and age-old codes of respect endure. Editor and publisher Saad Khan of Khajistan will be present to sign copies and share insights into the making of the book.
New York City:
When: May 26, 2025, 7PM
Where: Storm Books & Candy, 118 Norman Ave, 11222, Brooklyn, NY
When: June 17, 2025, 6PM
Where: Printed Matter, 231 11th Ave, New York, NY 10001, USA
London:
When: May 6, 2025, doors @ 8pm, talk at 8:30pm
Where: Reference Point, 2 Arundel Street London WC2R 3DA United Kingdom
Paris:
When: May 9, 2025, 7PM
Where: Noosh Bar, 40 Rue Jacques Louvel-Tessier, 75010 Paris, France
Available here
Saad Khan is a filmmaker, writer, and preservationist. His films include Chuppan Chupai (2013), Qandeel (2017), and Showgirls of Pakistan (2020). Through his archiving project, Khajistan, Khan continues to preserve the knowledge of marginalized subcultures in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and surrounding regions of the Middle East. Additionally, he serves as the executive producer at SAVTA, a post-production studio based in Brooklyn, New York.
Farhad Qashqai is a Tehran-based visual artist, curator, musician, and archivist. His notable projects include the acclaimed Instagram pages Chonoss and Kharabat, which spotlight subcultures in modern-day Iran.