Indian untouchability/dalit

In 2009 and 2010, I was invited by Martin Macwan, a human rights activist in Gujarat, India, to visit his school and help envision a museum devoted to Dalit history. What began as an invitation soon grew into a deeper collaboration: I was commissioned by Dalit Shakti Kendra to create a series of paintings responding to this history and to the lives behind it. The works shown here are part of that body of work—twenty‑four paintings created over the course of this experience. Reflections from the journey can also be found on my blog.
Before traveling, I immersed myself in everything I could read on the subject. The research generated many ideas, but it also revealed its limits. I knew that the work could only begin once I was there—meeting people face to face, walking through their spaces, listening, and living alongside them. On November 4, I traveled to Ahmedabad with my close friend and favorite photographer, Joanne Giganti. I wanted her with me to document what I knew I could never fully capture alone: faces, clothing, gestures, and the extraordinary vividness of color that surrounded us.
Although the Dalit community has historically existed outside the caste system, what stayed with me most was not classification, but presence. After meeting the people, any abstraction fell away. I encountered dignity, kindness, and a remarkable openness—a willingness to welcome a stranger and share space, stories, and daily life. These encounters shaped the paintings as much as the history itself.