Fazal Sheikh: The Circle

New York-born photographer and activist Fazal Sheikh closely crops his subjects’ faces, making their eyes the central focus of the frame, in turn forcing his viewers to face them. He captures portraits of communities around the world in an effort to bridge the gap between the diversity of human experience and the often-insurmountable differences in opportunity. This volume focuses on photographs of women, taken in India over the past five years. In his last two books, Moksha (2005) and Ladli (2007), Sheikh addressed the social and political implications of Indian women’s subordination and mistreatment, recording many stories of isolation and extreme abuse. In The Circle, Sheikh concentrates on the power of these women’s gazes and their ability to engage our empathy and our curiosity. This series reflects an intimacy and directness between photographer and subject that challenges Westerners’ preconceptions about Indian women.