Photographic artist Asha Thadani discusses her thought process behind her solo exhibition ‘I to Eye: Shades of Humanity’ with the show’s curator Amrutha R. The photographs feature people from the Denotified, Nomadic and Dalit communities, people relegated to the outer edges of our society. The images are anchored in themes of identity, labour, gender, transformation and resilience.Your work engages with communities that navigate faith, caste, labour, and marginalisation. How do you balance documentation with responsibility when representing vulnerable narratives?Consent from the subjects is a critical part of the work. It is a process of negotiation. I am a devoted intruder and spend a lot of time living with and engaging with the communities. While consent is more about trust than it is about permission, privacy is far more complex to navigate. Disclosing personal information makes people feel vulnerable and exposed. At the same time, there is a fundamental human need to engage. I operate in the white heat of this contradiction, delicately balancing how a subject is perceived and how they perceive themselves. But, no matter how lofty the intentions may be, in ways obvious or subtle, we all trespass.Dignity in the Dust: A Banjara worker toils in a stone quarry.Given that you use the gaze as a tool for resistance, specifically through subjects looking directly at the camera to assert their “right to look” , what are your views on gaze theory and its shifting perspectives? I’m glad that the 1970s framework of gaze theory is now being redefined. Today, when everyone is simultaneously a photographer, a subject, and a viewer, outdated theories that obsess over power dynamics between the artist, the subject, and the viewer collapse.Using a map of the ancient world to navigate a modern city is a reductive lens that alienates a complex creative work from its story and emotional autonomy. Art critique cannot be a game of “spot the transgression” anymore. So, modern theory now explores the surveillance gaze and the algorithmic gaze, examining how AI and digital media categorise and objectify humans through data. A Symbiotic Existence: A pastoral nomad from the Gormati community.Many of your images capture moments of ritual and transformation. How do you position yourself within these spaces — as observer, participant, or witness? I don’t think those roles are mutually exclusive. I move fluidly between the three positions. When I am in these spaces, I am a participant first – living with the subjects collapses distance, turning the act of photography into a shared experience. The camera is no longer a shield or a weapon, but an extension of a person the community already knows and trusts. As a witness, I validate the importance of moments that deeply matter to them. This emotional proximity is what allows me to capture the soul of the moment rather than just the fact of it. As an observer, I am constantly navigating ethical boundaries. I acknowledge the inherent power dynamic of holding control of the final edit. Often, I position myself as a collaborator showing them the images and asking for feedback. Knowing when not to take the photo is just as important. The Peripheral Stage: A Nachaniya (Female Impersonator) from the Musahar community.You have chosen to work predominantly in black and white. What does monochrome allow you to express that colour might not? Every colour carries within it deep rooted symbolism. White and black being assigned the most extreme meaning. Purity and pollution for instance. The stripping of colour in my work has much to do with themes I explore, where the precariousness of the situation renders the spectrum of colour irrelevant. By not admitting colour into a lot of my work, I consciously decline information that is not necessary to the image. Colour is a distraction the moment its vibrant “personality” contradicts the intent and emotional register of the scene, pulling the image away from its deeper architecture and core purpose. Draining the colour palette away is an act of calculated censorship. It’s a protective measure—a way of silencing the chromatic noise to save the signal. Keepers of the River’s Secrets: A boy from the Mallah community at the river Ganga. Photo: Asha Thadani.How has the interplay between your commercial work and personal documentary practice influenced your visual style and approach to narrative, particularly regarding the tension between staged storytelling and raw observation? I operate at the intersection of two distinct worlds and have developed a way to bridge them. The precision and technical rigour of commercial photography have elevated my documentary work, while the adaptability required in the field allows me to manage chaotic commercial sets with ease. The context of an image – rather than the image itself – determines its meaning and how I interact with it. Exactly the same visual can move from a news report to an ad on a billboard and later end up in a museum without a single pixel changing. Yet, as the room around it changes, so does our relationship with the image and the questions we allow ourselves to ask. This transforms the image from a piece of information into a subject for interpretation. Iron Souls, Wandering Homes: The changing landscape of the Gujjar. Photo: Asha Thadani.In today’s age of digital saturation, how do you ensure depth and sustained engagement within your photographic practice?Today, modern photography is defined by the digital ecosystems through which it flows. In the constant noise of the digital age, visual information piles up like dust and begins to interfere with how one’s own work is seen and its capacity to stand out.Over the years, I have pushed into increasingly remote territories to capture narratives that remain unseen.Yet, the lens through which we judge art is warping. We have begun to mistake the familiar for the “good,” using repetition as a yardstick for value.In a world where the most “liked” images define the standard, personal expression can feel like a social transgression.My response is simple: I ignore the trends and focus on what interests and moves me, hoping it will do the same for others. Shape-Shifters of the Subcontinent: Entertainers from the Nat community. Photo: Asha Thadani.After having observed and documented such diverse human experiences, how do you look at life today — both as a photographer and as someone who has witnessed these realities?It’s hard to look at life with simple optimism when you’ve seen the cost of systemic failure. Documenting power structures, vulnerable environments and marginalisation has stripped away my ability to see the world in binaries. I look for the ‘quiet’ moments of dignity that power structures often overlook and the incredible resilience required to exist within fragile systems. As a photographer, I look at life as a series of interconnected layers; I’ve learned that the most profound truths usually live in the shadows of the main narrative. I also accept moral vertigo as the true cost of storytelling. On a personal level, it has made me hyper-aware of my own position within the system. I understand that everyone is navigating a structure they didn’t necessarily build.From Slither to Sprint: The Modern Hustle of India’s Sapera aka Kalbeliya. Photo: Asha Thadani.Curating ‘I to Eye’ through 16 stories and 127 images was interesting. Any thoughts on the aesthetics of the exhibition?The show is really tight – everything feels like it belongs. The selection and arrangement of the images reinforce the central theme in a thought provoking manner. One can tell you’ve meticulously executed it, too. The show’s spatial choreography strategically manages sightlines and visitor experience.I especially loved the juxtaposition of contrasting works creating a compelling visual dialogue. Your curatorial voice is equally refined, utilising clear and sharp wall texts to effectively articulate the exhibition’s intent. The Art of Leaving; The Ambedkarite buddhist monks of Sarnath.Asha Thadani is a photographic artist based in Bengaluru.Amrutha R is deputy curator at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Bengaluru.Thadani’s show will be on at NGMA Bengaluru until April 12, 2026.