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Revanti, from the series "Balika Mela"

A teenage Indian girl stands before a dark curtain, her left arm on her hip and her right arm straight up in the air. She looks toward the viewer with a serious expression and wears a simple, light-colored garment.

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  • A teenage Indian girl stands before a dark curtain, her left arm on her hip and her right arm straight up in the air. She looks toward the viewer with a serious expression and wears a simple, light-colored garment.

Date:

2003, printed 2010

Artist:

Gauri Gill
Indian, born 1970

About this artwork

Balika Mela, or “a fair for girls,” is held annually in the Indian state of Rajasthan. Attended by around 1500 adolescent girls from the town of Lunkarasar and surrounding villages, the fair raises awareness of difficulties for women in these communities. In 2003, Gauri Gill set up a photo studio and invited the young women to “portray themselves, as they are, or as they see themselves, or to invent new selves for the camera.” Gill’s portraits convey a hesitant fortitude; the subjects are unaccustomed to such attention. Gill was subsequently invited to teach the girls photography in workshops held at the fair.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Photography and Media

Artist

Gauri Gill

Title

Revanti, from the series "Balika Mela"

Place

India (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 2003

Medium

Inkjet print

Dimensions

160.1 × 106.7 cm (63 × 42 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Meredith and Akhil Sharma

Reference Number

2019.1528

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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