Poulomi Basu

Basu was born and raised in Kolkata, India. She has said "I grew up in a home with all kinds of taboos, and it was an extremely violent, patriarchal and misogynistic environment. I saw how these things were related and became interested in exploring the complex web of patriarchy."[11] She majored in sociology then did a Masters in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication.[12]

Basu's work often addresses the normalisation of violence against marginalised women.[5]

Her To Conquer Her Land series depicts the first female soldiers in the Indian Army, on the India–Pakistan border.[13][14] In Basu's words, ""To Conquer Her Land is about new forms of stress – related to combatant life – that has never existed for Indian women before in history." Her work deals with sensitive issues of self image and focuses on women who are striving to redefine their identity. Basu's work pivots around the "intricate issues of conflict, psychological warfare, class, youth, gender, love, peace, the concept of home, an undefined idea of patriotism, and the strength of the mind."[15] To Conquer Her Land is a fitting title as this work is dedicated to the women who are trying to claim their place not only in the military but also in the eyes of society where gender norms are still harsh towards women.

A Ritual of Exile: Blood Speaks deals with the Nepalese practice of Chhaupadi, which "dictates that women who are menstruating, and those who experience bleeding after childbirth, must live in makeshift huts because they are considered impure and therefore untouchable. Exiled by their communities and families, the women are refused access to water and toilets and must eat food scraps, fed to them as though they were animals." Basu made the work in Surkhet District, in a remote region of Nepal, in 2013, 2014 and 2016. When exhibited, the work includes two screen projections, photographs shown in LED-powered light boxes, a surround-soundscape and an immersive virtual reality installation—"The room deliberately evokes the oppressive environment inhabited by the women".[16][11]

Centralia focuses on the female guerrillas of the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency.[17] Sean O'Hagan wrote in The Guardian that the book "casts light on an overlooked conflict between the Indian state and the Maoist People's Liberation Guerrilla Army, which is made up of volunteers from a beleaguered indigenous community. Basu moves effortlessly between traditional documentary and a heightened, almost hallucinatory approach that reflects both the brutality of the conflict and the state propaganda that feeds on half-truths and manipulated "facts"."[8] Basu takes cues from "the literary work of William Faulkner, J G Ballard and Arundhati Roy, as well as the dream narratives of David Lynch" ... "in composing Centralia, which is set largely in the state of Chhattisgarh, as well as the states of Odisha, West Bengal and Jharkhand".[17] Her reason for taking inspiration from these notable figures, in her words, is because "they deal with the darkness that lies ahead." She reflects, "in a way, this project is a prism to explore contemporary India through my own connection to a historical and present series of events.[18]

Basu is a co-founder/director of Just Another Photo Festival, begun in 2015, which seeks to democratise access to visual media.[19]

She is a visiting lecturer at University of the Arts London's Visible Justice and collaborative Unit.[20]

• Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Centralia.[23]
• The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, Special Collections; Centralia book.[24]

• A Ritual of Exile: Blood Speaks, Pearson Building, Format Festival, Derby, UK, 2017[16]
• Centralia, Photoworks Festival, Brighton, UK, 2020.[25]
• Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize 2021, The Photographers' Gallery, London, 2021[26]
• Eruptions: a decade of creation, Side Gallery, Newcastle, UK, 2021–22. An immersive installation of VR, film and photographic work from 2009 to 2021. Includes Blood Speaks: A Ritual Of Exile, Centralia and To Conquer Her Land.[9]
• Fireflies, Autograph ABP, London, 4 March 2022 – 4 June 2022.[27]

She has been selected as a Hundred Heroine which recognises significant female photographers.[4]

• 2012: Winner, 2nd place, Foto Visura Grant for To Conquer Her Land[28]
• 2012: Magnum Foundation Social Justice Fellowship[29]
• 2016: Winner, Magnum Emergency Fund, Magnum Foundation, to continue making A Ritual of Exile: Blood Speaks[16][30]
• 2016: Winner, Magnum Foundation Human Rights Grant, What Works[31]
• 2017: Winner, FotoEvidence Book Award, New York City, for A Ritual of Exile: Blood Speaks[32]
• 2020: Hood Medal, Royal Photographic Society, Bristol, UK for Blood Speaks[6]
• 2020: Louis Roederer Discovery Award, Rencontres d'Arles, Arles, France[33]
• 2020: Winner, Rencontres d'Arles Louis Roederer Discovery Award Jury Prize for Centralia[34]
• 2020: Singapore International Photography Festival Book Awards for Centralia'[35]
• 2020: Winner, CreativeXR programme by Digital Catapult and Arts Council England for Blood Speaks: Maya – The Birth of a Superhero[36]
• 2021: Shortlisted, Deutsche Börse Photography Foundation Prize, London for Centralia; along with Alejandro Cartagena, Cao Fei, and Zineb Sedira[37][38][39]
• 2021: Selected, Venice Biennale's Venice Gap-Financing Market / New edition of the Book Adaptation Rights Market for Blood Speaks: Maya – The Birth of a Superhero.[40]

• Official website