Sonalle Photography: Ethnic Minorities Coming Out is on show at Rich Mix, London until 04 Oct6ober, before travelling to venues around London over the next year. For more info see richmix.org.uk or sonalle.com

For a long time coming to terms with being gay has been haunted by the notion of ‘coming out’. Like a confession, the prospect of spilling the beans is painless for some but for others it’s stressful, even traumatic, as Sonalle’s new exhibition reflects, Alex Christofides writes.

The most recent in a series of exhibitions called ‘Ethnic Minorities Coming Out’, confronts issues surrounding homosexuality and surfaces personal experiences of ‘coming out’ in ethnic minorities. It offers an intimate, heartfelt and subtle insight into lives affected by narrow mindedness and stigma.

Sonalle in her own words tries to ‘deliver an insight into detail we may not always perceive, or that we sometimes try to ignore’. She documents a range of subjects from various backgrounds at different stages of the coming out process; some have already come out, some are in the process, while others are thinking about it.

It is a sensitive topic and Sonalle handles with care: if subjects felt uncomfortable at any point she concealed their identity. Photographing an expressive part of the body instead. She uses appealing natural light throughout, capturing details effectively, and text alongside each image also helps explain each individual story.

It’s a well-executed show. It is ambiguous in places though, which evokes a sense of mystery and hidden identity at the cost of narrative strength.

Sonnalle has been on the road for almost a decade, but she’s now returned to London assisting Magnum photographer, Mr. Chris Steele-Perkins. She aims to continue with her own work, using issue-based assignments to raise the public consciousness.