Sheba Chhachhi, The Yamuna Series, 2005, moving image lightbox, 104 x 12 x 52 cm each. Sheba Chhachhi
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In Our Own Backyard: Sheba Chhachhi’s Photographs Of Women's Movements In The Eighties

Drishya

In the late 1980s, New Delhi-based multidisciplinary artist, photographer, and activist Sheba Chhachhi (b. 1958) emerged as a decisive voice within India's women's movements. Chhachhi was keenly aware of the power of the photographic image and conscious of her political charge. Her early photography did not aim to be neutral. She often collaborated with her subjects and involved them in the image-making process. Her works from this period served a dual purpose — as both records and tools of resistance.

Om Swaha performed in Karol Bagh, New Delhi, ca. 1980–81. Performers of this iteration included Mallika Virdhi, Ein Lall, Runu Chakravarty, Deepti Mehrotra, Chhaya, Sharda Behn, Gouri Choudhury, Theo Devaganam, and Lalita Ramdas, among others; photographed by Sheba Chhachhi.

Chhachhi became particularly known for documenting the feminist protests and actions taking place across India during this period, creating some of the most iconic visual records of Indian women's protests and activism against dowry deaths, domestic violence, and patriarchal control. One of her landmark early projects was the photographic documentation of 'Om Swaha', a series of powerful street performances protesting dowry-related violence in New Delhi.

By the 1990s, Chhachhi’s work evolved from straightforward documentary to a more conceptual, staged style of photography. A signature project from this period was 'Seven Lives and a Dream' (1990–1994), a collaboration with female sadhvis (or ascetics) that explored their spiritual journeys through meticulously composed photographic tableaux. These images challenged mainstream narratives around gender and renunciation, offering a feminist re-reading of India's ancient ascetic traditions.

Body exercises part of Kriti: A Workshop on Creative Expression, organised by Saaheli, New Delhi, 1983, photographed by Sheba Chhachhi.

'In Our Own Backyard', a landmark exhibition presented by the Hong Kong-based Asia Art Archive, explores the creative impulses and forms of gathering within the women’s movements in South Asia from the 1980s onward through the personal archives of Sheba Chhachhi and Lahore-based artist, educator, and women's rights activist Lala Rukh (1948–2017), who played vital roles as organisers and documenters of South Asian women's movements during this period.

Both artists were involved in designing and distributing posters and other educational materials, and co-organised and participated in numerous workshops focused on screen printing, theatre, video, and poster-making in the 80s and 90s. Together with feminist activists, writers, filmmakers, dancers, theatre directors, singers, and visual artists, they deliberated on questions of representation of the female subject in art and popular media, proposing new interpretations through creative and discursive interventions in that pivotal moment for women's rights in South Asia.

'In Our Own Backyard' builds upon AAA’s ongoing research inquiry into the multifaceted roles that artists play — in this context as organisers and documenters — offering a broader perspective on their cultural milieus.

'In Our Own Backyard', featuring images from the personal archives of artists Sheba Chhachhi and Lala Rukh, is on view at the CCG Library, Asia Art Archive, Hong Kong, till 30 August 2025.

Learn more about the exhibition here.

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