‘Aaine Tak Ka Safar’, a powerful exhibition by New York-based artist Nanki Singh, gives us a peek into the lives of acid attack survivors and showcases their resilience, positivity and strength.

“The exhibition aimed to raise awareness about these brave and resolute women and double up as a fundraiser for the Chhanv Foundation which helps with their medical, financial, and psychological rehabilitation,” the artist said.

The 22-year-old artist is passionate about social photography and thinks of her lens as a bridge that connects the hearts and minds of her viewers to the diverse stories, emotions, and journeys that make up the world. Her work largely focuses on the resolute and determined women of India and offers a glimpse into their often very difficult lives.

Every photographer looks at his or her craft differently. For some it is an expression of their own thoughts and conflicts, while others look at it as simply an artistic tool. So how does she look at her art?

“I would want my art to serve as both a powerful storytelling medium and a tool for advocacy. However, I am an artist too, and for an artist, aesthetics always matter. I try to make my work straddle both dimensions. Each photograph can be seen as a narrative that brings attention to individual experiences and collective challenges,” Singh told The Statesman.

‘Aaina tak ka safar’ was displayed at the Stainless Gallery here from June 15 to June 22.
The artist has worked closely with these women for four years and is deeply committed to their rehabilitation. She said the name ‘Aaina Tak Ka Safar’ has a very special significance because the girls have repeatedly told her how difficult it was for them to look at a mirror after their attacks.

“Aaine Tak Ka Safar began as a project for my first year at art school in 2020. Because of Covid, I did my first year remotely from India. As a photography major from the School of Visual Arts in New York, studying remotely from India was a challenge. My research on gender-based crimes always led me to news on acid attacks.

“I wanted to show these girls, not as victims, but as strong, resolute girls who have worked very, very hard to overcome what is probably amongst the worst and most barbaric crimes that can ever be committed on another human being. Apart from being devastatingly painful, it causes permanent disfigurement, melts the bones, leads to multiple infections, blindness, severe psychological trauma, and a lifelong stigma for absolutely no fault of theirs.

“My college very kindly allowed me to turn it into a fundraiser for the Chhanv Foundation, and I’m happy to say we raised an impressive USD 13,000 for the upgradation of a café run by these girls in Noida,” she said.

Singh is the recipient of numerous awards, including a USD 82,000 Silas Rhodes Scholarship in 2020, The Brian Weil Memorial Award awarded to a photographer of exemplary integrity and ideology and the Mentors Award awarded to top students of the graduating batch at the School of Visual Arts.

As a photographer, what is your comment on the kind of society we live in where women are brutalized in the form of acid attacks or other extreme actions?

“In our contemporary society, the prevalence of brutalities such as acid attacks reveals a disturbing undercurrent of violence and misogyny that needs urgent attention. And the most shocking thing for me to learn was that the perpetrator was almost always known to these girls.

“What is being done to ban the sale of acid? All it takes is less than Rs 100 to maim, disfigure and ruin an innocent girl’s life not to speak of the social stigma, loathing and humiliation that the survivor would face for the rest of her life? As this offence is bailable in certain situations, the punishment does not act as a sufficient deterrent in most cases,” she added.