Surface and Symbols Barnana’s Photobook
The Aging Indian Skin
(An ongoing project)
The elderly population in India is more than often victims of low quality of life, gender discrimination, ďŹ nancial instability, and mental abuse. As the elderly population is expected to rise to 324 million by 2050, the least concern from the government imposes great danger on their wellbeing. Yet it is the elderly who can best document the evolving nature of a country, its ďŹ nancial shifts, and the constant evolution of cultural dynamics. This series aims to document the decades of experiences in the lives of the elderly population by taking a deeper look at their skin. (Contd‌)
Our skin is the most genuine record of our existence. I reveals our identity without us realising it and it is also what makes us part of a community. The Indian skin is highly underrepresented in popular media and the Indian elderly skin is nearly missing. This lack of representation leads to the elderly being left out of the conversation or political and economic dialogues. This series, called The Aging Indian Skin, attempts to open up space and draw attention towards the elderly. The emphasis on the skin compels us to look at the wrinkle in time that it represents. (Contd‌)
The project strives to include elderly people from all communities in India. It will preferably be a collection of 100 photos, each representing persons coming from different class, religion, gender, and cultural backgrounds. In its essence, it aims to represent the diverse landscape of the sub-continent (which like the skin is the most genuine record of our existence) through an up close look at the skin of its oldest citizens.
Note: All images were taken in December 2020. A sexagenarian couple residing in the town of Siliguri, West Bengal, India consented to take the photographs. They are presented here with their knowledge.
A series at work to document the elderly population of India
The self-absent portraiture
This series is instrumental in the photographer’s self-recognition and her identity as a woman. Inspired by Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ - where the author famously and sincerely confesses, “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write” these absent self-portraits depict the ordinary things which hold importance in an artist’s life. Painters such as Mary Ellen Best, Gwen John, Louisa Paris, and Emilie Charmy paved the way centuries ago through their work. Their paintings paved the way for the absent self-portraits which centuries later play a significant role in women’s artistic pursuit. (Contd…)
Through their paintings the women of the previous century brought to the forefront their intimate world. A world which was long hidden underneath the garb of heavy ornaments and costumes. The woman today is constantly striving to bring her best to work. She is no longer featured as a coquettish appearance because she is the one gazing at herself instead of a male artist. She is the subject to her artist. (Contd‌)
A series depicting the absent self-portrait
Thank you.