A picture is worth a thousand words and by that measure, ‘PRINTiED VIOLATION’ may be one of the greater writings of our time. The hard-hitting photo series by Indian-Canadian photographer and artist Bhargavi Joshi highlights the struggles that women across the world encounter on a daily basis. Bhargavi’s mission was to take social issues that are plaguing this world and conceptualise them in a way that would make a real impact. In her nine image series she targets oppression, abuse and violence against women as well as the evils of female infanticide. While living in different countries she noticed that these injustices don’t discriminate. They affect women from all walks of life, from low income, uneducated backgrounds to the very affluent and empowered women as well. While she was forced to limit herself to nine important issues she hopes that this series will act as a starting point for an important journey of liberation.
Every aspect of the shoot was carefully planned and every detail was thought through to symbolise an angle of their message. They were painted white so as to shift the focus from their ethnic and cultural traits and bring attention to the fact that mattered the most, that they were all women. White is also associated with a purity that women from many cultures are forced to live by, like delicate porcelain figures at the feet of a patriarchal society. The black paint and ribbons represent how society is holding these women hostage to these standards with care for the pain and suffering they endure. All their clothes were made from medical gauze to symbolise the wrapping of women’s wounds that society refuses to acknowledge. She also selected all the models carefully to ensure equal representation of ethnicities and ages, showing that no woman is exempt from these hardships. Though incredibly attractive and creative, she hopes people will see the message first in this imagery. That these are evils that infect our daily lives and can no longer be ignored, she also hopes this series will show women around the world that they aren’t alone in this fight, and hopes to inspire them to come forward and share their stories and help women in need reach out and get help.

You can keep up with Bhargavi’s work or add to her tremendous campaign via her Website or her Facebook page.

 All images are property of Bhargavi Joshi

Words: Shireen Jamooji