My practice uses photography and moving image to question how a first impression can become a fixed idea about a person. Through conversations, observation and collaboration, I explore identity, belonging and the assumptions attached to appearance. In Before You See the Scar, made with acid attack survivors through an NGO in Delhi, I photograph skin close up so its folds, colours and textures can be seen as landscapes. Portraits and the women’s own words follow, asking viewers to reconsider their first response. I want to make room for lives that extend beyond trauma, while questioning how we look and what we believe we already know.

Instagram: @monicadhaka

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