Manjari Sharma: Connecting Hindu Gods and Humans

THE NEW YORK TIMES | LENS BLOG
By JAMES ESTRIN

Photograph of Maa Laxmii, goddess of wealth

NEW YORK---In India, there is often little separation between religion and state, so paintings and other representations of Hindu gods are everywhere. But, of course, not photographs of the gods. At least until Ms. Sharma [Manjari Sharma] undertook her elaborate darshan project, enlisting dozens of artisans and craftspeople to create complex sets, costumes and prosthetics around a human posing as a deity. Each photo took weeks to make on a set in Mumbai. The resulting series, which is on view at the ClampArt Gallery in Manhattan, opened on Thursday and continues through Oct. 12. [link]