2 weeks ago

Monica Dhaka's Photo Show Rethinks How We See Acid Survivors

Monica Dhaka's Photo Show Rethinks How We See Acid Survivors
Monica Dhaka’s ‘Before You See the Scar’ asks us to rethink how we see acid attack survivors · firstpost.com

An artist named Monica Dhaka made a show about people who survived acid attacks.

She wanted people to see them as more than just their scars.

First, she showed the survivors a close-up picture of an elephant's skin that looked like a tree branch.

That was her way of explaining how looking very closely can change what you see.

Her show has big pictures of scars that look like mountains or land.

It also has portraits of the survivors with their own words.

She talked with eighteen survivors from a group called Brave Souls Foundation in Delhi.

The idea started when she saw a survivor asked to move seats on a train.

The foundation once had to move because neighbors did not want to see survivors' faces.

Dhaka hopes people can appreciate the survivors, not just feel sad for them.

Key facts

Artist
Monica Dhaka
Installation
Before You See the Scar
Partner organization
Brave Souls Foundation, Delhi
Survivors interviewed
18
First venue
Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, Delhi
Upcoming venue
Dhoomimal Art Centre
Installation sections
The First Look; Skin Landscape; eight black-and-white portraits with text
Origin
Inspired by a Delhi metro incident where a survivor was asked to move seats

Quotes

Monica Dhaka

Artist and photographer leading the installation

“"Sometimes you see something and you just can't do anything about it."”
firstpost.com
“"There's no agenda, we're not doing anything, we just have fun."”
firstpost.com

Sources

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