Rishabh Malik’s Captivating New Photo-Series Uses Colour To Understand Emotion

Photographs taken from "Tainted. Exhibit A" by Rishabh Malik

Delhi-based photographer Rishabh Malik describes his newest series, ‘Tainted. Exhibit A’ as a “reflection on life”. Carefully composed shots of people in different environments, each photograph in the series are edited with vibrant colours that highlight the subjects, making each image instantly compelling.

Malik’s inspiration for the series came during a trip to Hampi, where he found the village’s stillness and mystery captivating. He wanted to evoke something similar with his photography.

“I wanted to create something that would make people just stop and look, and not just scroll past. I wanted to create something that would be distracting and slightly out of place and would capture people’s attention, even for a second. I feel that when someone is still, that stillness and silence can be really profound. I wanted my photography to bring that stillness,” Malik told Homegrown.

Photograph taken from 'Tainted. Exhibit A.' by Rishabh Malik

The name of the series comes from the emotions Malik sees reflected in the photographs. “I felt that the pictures captured a feeling of burden and I felt like ‘tainted’ was the right word to capture that feeling.” Malik’s choice of colours for each photograph was also guided by this emotion. They mirror the feelings of the subjects in each image.

Photograph taken from 'Tainted. Exhibit A.' by Rishabh Malik

There is one photograph from the series that particularly stands out to Malik. “It’s of an old man standing, in the distance, between mounds of rocks, and I edited the photo with shades of pink. This photo was taken in Hampi. There was a temple at the top of a hill, and I had hiked up the hill, and when I was near the top, I saw a pandit. I felt that that moment was really beautiful so I took the photograph. It holds a special place in my heart,” he notes.

Photograph taken from 'Tainted. Exhibit A.' by Rishabh Malik

Tainted. Exhibit A. is the first part of a longer series, anticipates Malik, whose photography career began while he was studying chartered accountancy. “I’m really guided by identity, authenticity, and morality. These are the topics I want to discuss with my photography and design. I want to explore psychology and philosophy through my imagery,” he says.