In light of our recent work on Orientalism in modern travel photography (read & listen here) we’re pleased to bring to you our #ReClaim series, showcasing talented and innovative photographers around the world, who document/ represent their local communities, regions or countries through images, ‘re-claiming’ the narrative and dispelling reductionist and often racist, representations that have dominated for so long.
Anamika Misra
Anamika is a writer and photographer covering topics related to personal identity and displacement through a decolonial perspective. Her emphasis lies on making the unseen, seen and the known, unknown. When she isn’t piecing together or dismantling narratives of colonial history, she is a researcher on international humanitarian law and counterterrorism.
On why she takes photos and her artistic style
I want to capture what caught my attention in that particular moment. I don’t like to label my style, as I am more enamored by the subject that caught my eye. However, as most of my shots depict people going about their lives, I get bracketed as a ‘street photographer’. I use photography as a medium for storytelling – conveying the emotions and the atmosphere that I experienced at a particular time and place. A lot of what I do comes from this desire of wanting to transport the viewer to that time and place- be it a noisy gully in Benaras or a quiet moment on the London Tube.
On her inspiration and creative authencity
A lot of my inspiration comes from film and I often try to replicate the colour palettes or aesthetics of iconic films in my photography (I did a series of photos capturing a foggy evening which was heavily inspired by the aesthetics of Stephen King’s ‘The Mist), but due to their popularity the question of creative authenticity frequently crosses my mind and makes me wonder what’s unique about the photo I am taking.
This was especially something that I was deeply conscious of when I was in Benaras. As an Indian who spends majority of her time living abroad, the degree of separation between me and the people I was taking shots of in Benaras is significant. Here the question of authenticity becomes two-pronged- one, whether the shot I’m taking has been taken before (as one of the most widely visited places in India, it is likely it has) and two, whether the shot I’m taking reproduces the Western gaze and orientalises the subject. The second consideration was one that held more importance for me and staying cautious required a certain mindfulness while composing the shot.
But the Western gaze goes far beyond me and my camera lens, the diasporic eye is definitely capable of reproducing orientalist tropes but so are those living in the urban spaces of the motherland. A cursory search through tagged photos of Benaras on Instagram will demonstrate the far reach of the Western gaze and self-orientalism. I believe that this is the fault of both, internalised colonialism and also pandering to the Western gaze in a pursuit of likes and ‘presence’ on Instagram, which results in the ongoing perpetuation of orientalist tropes. As such, being part of this cyclic process makes me feel deeply uncomfortable and so most of the photos I took in Benaras have not been published online.
A cursory search through tagged photos of Benaras on Instagram will demonstrate the far reach of the Western gaze and self-orientalism. I believe that this is the fault of both, internalised colonialism and also pandering to the Western gaze in a pursuit of likes and ‘presence’ on Instagram, which results in the ongoing perpetuation of orientalist tropes.
On her relationship with her subjects
When I’m taking photos of people, I often participate in ‘the moment’ with them. Simply snapping a shot and moving on creates a disconnection between myself, the subject, and the ‘experience’ of that particular moment. Moreover, interactions and photography emerging from these interactions have to be a two-way street. It is inappropriate for me to benefit from a street performer, an artist, or any other subject without meaningfully contributing to them- be it materially or a simple chat. My praxis is to always give due importance and attention to the subject over the shot and this is not just limited to human subjects but also to landscapes, meals, events and so on.
This attention and intentional interaction with the subject provides a certain ‘humanness’ to the shots I take. It’s not just about documenting that particular moment but also conveying the associated contexts to it.
On why representation matters
Everyone has preconceived ideas of what a particular space or a ‘person’ looks like. It is to break these preconceived ideas that representation matters. By finding unique aspects of my subjects, I highlight those in an attempt to subvert and show what may go unnoticed the first time around. Apart from that, the mode of photography enables me to tell stories, voices and faces of those that may often go unnoticed. The opportunity that my camera provides me is not of simply capturing moments for time immemorial but for also having conversations with different people from different walks of life, conversations that stay with me longer than that moment does.
Follow Anamika Misra on Instagram: @le_errant
