Description
This body of work is a series of portraits taken in New Delhi, India of individuals that consider themselves Hijras. The work is part of an ongoing exploration of identity, beauty and individual character. The Hijra community is an extremely complex and difficult narrative to understand, one that I am still learning about and from. Legally
recognized as the "third gender" in India, a forward stance from one of the few countries that have given recognition to a gender other than male or female, the Hijra community is often ostracized by society but then called upon for spiritual blessings. The complex and entwined; historical, sometimes spiritual and newly recognized social positioning of Hijras in Indian society is what lead me to create this body of work. These pictures were made in a controlled environment that allowed me to gain the trust of the individual and give them the space to present themselves as they wished and capture individual character and beauty.
