This photographic series delves into the compelling narrative of a group of people's extraordinary journey through the complex landscape of insurgency. Living for decades amid insurgency, experiencing various occurrences, multiple narrations, and displacement stories from numerous people, this project centres around the memory of home and the indomitable character who resided within the detention camp for decades.
In this series, the primary focus is on my mother as the main character and the detention camp as a significant site. Through a lens that captures the nuances of her everyday activities against the backdrop of the campsite, each photograph serves as a visual testament to her unwavering strength and the intricate interplay between her existence and the environment of the camp. The project aims to portray the profound relationship between my mother and the site, which holds a multitude of memories, reflecting the endurance and resilience she demonstrated amid the trials of insurgency. Beyond the camp, the series will extend to include a photo exploration of the village home and jungle areas of my native village, providing a holistic view of the environments that have shaped my mother's life.
The impact of armed conflict on women is distinctly different from that on men, as these conflicts often force women to assume varied functions, play diverse roles, and shoulder unique responsibilities based on the circumstances they find themselves in. The ensuing violence and its repercussions can profoundly affect the lives of women, with far-reaching consequences for their children. These tragic incidents often thrust the responsibility of running households onto the shoulders of these women. The work process is mainly documentation-oriented photography, capturing authentic characters and locations in compelling visuals. The central theme revolves around the site and my mother, offering glimpses into different seasons and various work processes.
Dhiraj Rabha was born in a pristine village named Borali Gaon, Assam, India, and grew up in an ex-ULFA detention camp in Goalpara, Assam. He completed a bachelor's degree in political science in 2016 and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting in 2021. He later earned a Master of Fine Arts in Painting from Kala Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Dhiraj has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Prince Claus Seed Award 2023-24, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and was selected for the Khoj Peers Residency 2024. Recently His work has been exhibited at the Bengal Biennale 2024, curated by Siddharth Sivakumar and at the Serendipity Festival, curated by Vidya Sivadas. In 2023, he was awarded the Generator Cooperative production fund by Experimenter and participated in the Next-Step Residency by Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation at 1Shantiroad, Bangalore. His achievements include a Production Grant under the Art Practice Program from the India Foundation for the Arts (IFA) in 2022 and the Toto Awards for Photography in 2024. He was Special Mentioned in the Alkazi Theatre Archives' Theatre Photography Grant in 2021. He was also on the shortlist for the Rhodes Scholarship India in 2021.
He hails from a lineage of resilient political fighters and His artistic practice is deeply rooted in the exploration of personal identity and its intersection with the complex layers of communal memory and representation. His creative vision is driven by a commitment to bringing social memories and narratives into public consciousness, especially those concerning loss and violence. In this regard, the practice engages with both individual and collective memories, constructing a physical archive that emerges from inter- and intra-community engagement. To fully understand the intricate relationship between site, context, and community, his process involves a deep, ongoing interaction with the people and environment involved in each project. This serves as the contextual framework that informs his work, which primarily focuses on site-specific installations and research-based projects.