From issue: #20 The Graduate Issue 2023
This Isn’t Divide and Conquer by Aaryan Sinha investigates how historical events have helped shape the Indian landscape and the identity; it also questions the relationship between photography, colonialism, and the artist’s own position. Originally from New Delhi, Sinha drew on his own family history when making this work, shooting in the five Indian states that share a border with Pakistan. Sinha’s grandfather was once a member of the Indian Armed Forces, which included Pakistani officials. After the 1947 partition, following Britain’s hasty departure from India, these officers were pitted against each other. Sinha’s grandfather grew up with a different map of India, and after the new border was drawn up by the British, whole cities, villages, and families were separated from each other. Through this work, Sinha seeks to better understand the direct and indirect impact of this separation has had, on the border region and beyond.
Aaryan Sinha was born in New Delhi in 2001, and is currently based in the Netherlands. He recently graduated with a BA in Photography from the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague, and has previously shown his work in institutions such as FOAM, Amsterdam, and the Noorderlicht Photo Festival. Sinha works with photography and archive material, and is interested in both Indian identity and the impact of Western culture on it.
Find out more about Aaryan Sinha here.
