Spandita Malik: Embroidering Mental Health
Growing up in India, Spandita Malik, a graduate of the MFA Photography program, frequently encountered “very beautiful images of poverty,” often depicted from a photographer’s colonial perspective. For her master’s thesis, Malik decided to upend that narrative. The result is a powerful portrait series called Nā́rī—Sanskrit for “woman” or “wife.”
During interviews with Indian women that she hoped to photograph, Malik learned of their struggles with misogyny and domestic abuse as well as cultural stigmas surrounding mental health. She resolved to “have each woman’s voice be part of the portrait.” When she met a group of women who did extraordinary embroidery, a co-created narrative thread came forth.
After photographing each subject, Malik printed the image on fabric from the region and gave it to her subject to embroider. Malik imposed no creative guidelines and was always surprised and delighted with what emerged from the collaboration. “In every portrait, you can see a different personality,” she says. In a culture where handicraft often goes unappreciated, Malik’s collaborators have come to value their creativity and see firsthand how self-expression fosters mental health. “I don’t think they thought of the embroidery they do as art,” says Malik, “but these women are artists.”
One Nā́rī subject conceals her face behind a newspaper, reflecting life in a society in which it can be unsafe for women to leave their homes. Another subject washed and ironed her portrait, causing some emulsion to come off. “I grew to love that piece,” says Malik. “A lot of making work is happy accidents.”
Malik credits Parsons with giving her a “safe space” in which to grow as an artist. The school lets “you be exactly who you want to be without a trace of doubt.”
