From Fayemi Shakur’s article for Nueva Luz:

Manjari Sharma’s “Darshan” series photographically recreates nine classical images of Gods and Goddesses pivotal to mythological stories in Hinduism. As a young girl in India, Sharma recalls trips with her parents to temples, experiencing the architecture, marble floors, sandalwood doors, assorted smells, textures and sacred deities that captured her mind and imagination. An incredible world with its own rhythm, for her it was not just a religious ritual but a familial practice.

The sense of place inspired Sharma to revisit the romance of the experience. Compelled to create photographs of Indian deities, Sharma wanted to see what it would take to recreate the images previously only depicted as drawings or paintings. After moving to the United States to formally study her art, Sharma’s ritual of going to temple was replaced by going to museums and art galleries. The museum had become her temple and mirrored her experience in the temple. Sharing the value of a sense of practice, faith and devotion are integral undercurrents of this series.

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View Manjari Sharma’s series, “Darshan”
Browse all of Manjari Sharma’s work at ClampArt