Paperback, b/w photographs, 28 pages, W254 X H164mm
This catalogue marked Dayanita Singh's photographic exhibition, I am as I am, at Ikon in 2001. The artist presented an alternative view of Benares, India, one of the most photographed places in the world.
Twenty photographs from a new series revealed the very private world of an Ashram, a place that functions as a home for girls as they decide whether or not to pursue a life of religious devotion, according to the principles of the guru Anandamayi. Singh's photographs convey the irrepressible humanity of the girls in meditation and play, lessons, meals and domestic chores.
I am as I am is a small publication that includes a foreword by Ikon Director Jonathan Watkins, a biography, an essay by Sunil Khilnani and twenty black and white photographs.