Tate Photography: Sheba Chhachhi

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 64 pages
Publication date: 06 May 2022
Publisher: Tate Publishing

Sheba Chhachhi is a photographer, women's rights activist, and installation artist based in New Delhi. Her work has been exhibited widely in India and internationally, transforming pressing contemporary issues into compelling, evocative works of art. The powerful photographs reproduced here are selected from three major series, co-curated with her subjects. Seven Lives and a Dream spans decades of engagement with and participation in the feminist movement. Initiation Chronicle (from Gangas Daughters) reveals the lives of a group of women sadhus (religious renunciates): each woman in the series subverts conventional assumptions about gender, sexuality, domesticity, and female piety. In the 1990s, Chhachhi was one of the first female photographers to photograph women in conflict-ridden Kashmir, resulting in The Green of the Valley is Khaki. Interweaving the mythic and the social, her work is about opening up a conversation, in the process of creating as well as sharing, to invite people to think about personal, social, and public concerns, primarily around feminism and ecology.

The Tate Photography Series is a celebration of international photography in the Tate collection and an introduction to some of the greatest photographers at work today. With the direct involvement of living photographers in collaboration with photography curators, these books showcase the best and most notable images taken across the globe, from city streets to seashores, moving across landscapes and through subcultures, in a visual travelogue of our world. Each book contains a new essay by a leading photographer or curator, providing insight into the creative process and the significance of the images.

Sheba Chhachhi's work is a testament to the power of photography to capture the essence of human experience and to inspire social change. Her photographs have the ability to evoke emotions, challenge perceptions, and promote understanding and empathy. They remind us of the importance of storytelling and the power of visual imagery to bring attention to important issues and to inspire action. Through her work, Chhachhi has contributed to the ongoing conversation about feminism, ecology, and social justice, and her legacy will continue to inspire and influence future generations of artists and activists.

Dimension: 200 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781849768030