JOIN USDifferent personalities are revealed through different styles and clothing. At times one gets bored of one’s personality and transforms into another with the help of apparel. In a group of women, one can point out various stereotypes by simply observing their dressing patterns.
It is dues to these clothes that one can say that Soni is a tomboy, Daljeet is a BA Pass newly married girl from Punjab, Kiara believes in energies, Sitara is a high profile socialite, Shilpa is a typical college girl from Janakpuri, Debashree looks like an artist, Lila is no less than a model, Evelyn D’Souza is an old Christian lady, Smita a social activist and Priyanka, a professional. Wondering whose names are these and who these women are?
It is difficult to believe that all these are self-portraits of photographer Prarthna Singh who has put up her new exhibition titled Ten: A photographic art exhibit of Ten Avatars of a Woman by teaming up with ‘Ten’ - a label by fashion czarina, Ritu Kumar.
You read it right. All the names mentioned above are imaginary and it is Prarthna who is representing these stereotypes through different characters. “The project began with a desire to leave my comfort zone of photographing others and instead explore the art of self-portraiture, as a way to reflect all the women that I encounter in my daily life.
“However, it wasn’t easy to be both in front and at the back of the camera for I had to keep in mind the lights as well as emotions at the same time,” says Prarthna who has always been drawn towards capturing the female form.
This time she decided to be the model herself. “It wasn’t easy being 10 different people in a span of two days but after my research I had a clear idea of how these women are going to be.”
In the process Prarthna realised that, “Everyone is the same but people don’t realise this. Having played upon it I feel that if I can do it as a project then I can also break the stereotypes in reality.”
So this time her work challenges stereotypes created by society to prove that all the women are actually one. The exhibition is also a reflection of the many selves that can live within the same woman.
“She could be one person doing a corporate job during the day but easily transforms into her hippie-chic self over drinks with friends in the evening. It is fascinating that all these women coexist as friends, rivals, neighbours, strangers on a train and sometimes even as the same person,” she adds.
A lot of attention has been put into the selection of garments keeping in mind the style and persona of various women. This she says is an outcome of the 100 per cent creativity allowed to her. Amrish Kumar, from TEN says, “The important thing about Prarthna is she is not necessarily mainstream.
A lot of her own personality comes up in her work. I had seen this earlier too and was confident about her idea.”
Exhibition is on till Sept 10, DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj.