Photographer Prarthna Singh

Taken from Creative Review  article about photographer Prarthna Singh. © Prarthna Singh

“I’m drawn to different interpretations of feminine strength. I’ve grown up with some very strong women in my family and it’s always been something I have really admired. In a country like India, there are so many different levels at which women are fighting for their personal freedom, from how they live their lives, to career choices and marriage.”

photographer Prarthna Singh

Through her work, Prarthna Singh illustrates the transitional nature of her homeland. She seeks out female focused stories that explore the tension between tradition and modernity. Her camera is a tool to unpick expectations and stereotypes, broadening the discussion about the role of women in Indian society. “I’m interested in the wounds the world leaves on us and the strength we have to overcome them. The forces people are dealing with everyday.”

photographer Prarthna Singh

India is the lifeblood of her work; even while studying Photography at Rhode School of Design she would return and travel to remote parts of the country making portraits. After graduation, she spent eighteen months assisting and doing odd jobs in New York. “I always felt like something was missing. It was only when I finally left New York and returned to India that my work started to move forward.”

photographer Prarthna Singh

Prarthna Singh’s first personal work ‘Girls’ explores the traditional rites of passage for girls in Indian society. The images bare witness to a complicated time for women striving to escape the pressure to marry and have children. Singh’s elegant, intimate and honest portrayal perfectly communicates the duality of her subjects. In each frame, their burden transcends the picture plane. “With Girls, I really wanted to show the pressure facing urban women. These landmarks have been made for us, and we are expected to follow without question. It’s an unending, constant pressure from a young age. I wanted to capture all of these women in a moment of vulnerability, no matter how strong we are and how much we want to fight, there is a moment of fragility that connects us all.”

photographer Prarthna Singh

Human experience is at the centre of Prarthna Singh’s practise. In the last two years she has caught the attention of brands like Nike, Levi’s and Airbnb and publications including The Wall Street Journal, Vogue and CNN. Her recent commission, photographing literary icon Arundhati Roy for the FT Magazine saw her work take another leap forward. Her portrait of Roy’s captures the sitter’s confidence and a genuine sense of peace. Singh’s sensitive portrayal emphasises the values of her practise.

photographer Prarthna Singh

In her latest work ‘The Wrestlers’, she makes a formal portrait of female wrestling. Captured at training camps, these young Olympic hopefuls dedicate their lives to a sport where they have to constantly overcome adversity. “They spend 11 months of the year at the training camps. The battles that they have to fight to just make there way to that camp are huge. Their physical bodies are constantly scrutinised by their families and they get abuse just walking down the street. Most of the women come from states like Punjab or Haryana which have deeply patriarchal set ups. Teenage marriage is at it’s highest in these two states and Haryana has one of the highest female foeticide rates in the country. Even at the international level, they don’t have much support, but you never hear them complaining, they are just focused on winning a medal and bringing it back. These women are an inspiration to girls all over India.”

photographer Prarthna Singh

“I’m drawn to stories of empowerment. For me, those are the most powerful and can bring about change.” Singh’s work is rooted in visual activism, advocating for Indian women and reflecting back the daily challenges they face. She is also an active member of her local photo community, participating in a group supporting young female photographers and a member of JAPF (Just Another Photo Festival), a gorilla style photo festival that unites communities around in India through photography. “What motivates me is when young women see my pictures and it changes their mind-set. Even if its just one person views the work and questions it, or it triggers a conversation, then I have done my job.”

© Prarthna Singh