Archived: Sara Roger
Sara Roger, photographer of Women of India, in the gallery October 1 through Sunday, January 2, 2011.
1. What inspires your work?
In my Women of India body of work, I was inspired by different Indian religions, stories, and traditions, essentially their culture. I loved learning and seeing the way it manifests itself in every part of life in India: both of the beautiful and sad aspects. After living in India for a while, I felt like I was beginning to understand practices that mystified me before, and began to truly see the women’s struggle and how deep it runs in society and Indian history.
2. How did you approach your subjects? Was there a particular interaction that stands out?
While I love images that are created without the subject’s knowledge and interference, I felt immoral to photograph Indian women in this way for many reasons. First of all, I stand out like a sore thumb, from my skin color, appearance, and dress–it was hard for people not to notice me. In addition, I felt it would be more respectful towards the women for them to know I was photographing them to receive their permission . . . I know I would feel uncomfortable if I was at my job and someone started taking photographs without my consent.
I approached them directly, attempted to speak Hindi, and asked if I could take their picture. This method improved the images and decreased the language barrier! I believe the most impressionable interaction was within the first few days I was in India; a woman was so excited that I took her photograph-and that I showed it to her-that she gave me some fruit she was selling without my even asking! Most of the women were so kind, happy, and excited to see pictures of themselves and responded very positively. This is very different from what one expects of American subjects.
3. Who/What are your influences?
My work is inspired from a variety of forms, including photography and art, social/cultural issues, and my own personal beliefs and concerns.
4. What is your next project?
I am working on a variety of photographic projects and have many plans for the next year, however the series I am most immersed in is my Gender-Bender photographic social commentary. My project explores the range and variety of modifications people do to their bodies to express their true gender or preference–exploring their true identity.
Artist Statement:
India has always been a land that has intrigued me and filled me with a surreal sense of wonder that I have longed to explore since my childhood. I could list off the names of my favorite foods in Hindi proudly at age 8, and loved reading and re-reading the legendary stories that are imbedded in Indian traditions and religion. India was a place I had only dreamed of visiting, never wanting to believe it would be a reality until much later in life. However, I was fortunate enough to study abroad for 6 months in 2009 and used that time to travel as frequently as possible over South and North India, capturing every possible moment with my multitude of cameras.
Through my university studies, observation, and conversations with others, I became very interested in the different roles and responsibilities between men and women. The demanding responsibilities of women in Indian culture and society affected me deeply. Indian women are the backbones of their family, society, and religious institutions and communities, however they receive little respect.
While women work just as hard or harder than their male counterparts, every institution they wholeheartedly support oppresses them. It is difficult for women to gain respect in the political, work, and social spheres because of their lack of education (and question of its worth), religious beliefs that developed into unfortunate norms (such as the ideal image of a woman dedicating her life and work to her husband and family), the burden on the family of marriage dowry (a financial burden), all grounded in the idea of women being inferior to men. Women have been oppressed through tradition and low-caste status, which makes the issue very complicated to rectify because of the concern of uprooting tradition.
Women constantly occupy the second shift of being responsible for their family’s well being, including financial and social issues. My subjects are strong and independent women who are the pillars of Indian culture, tradition, and society.
Artist Bio:
Sara Roger was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but currently attends Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY to study the art and practice of photography and cultural anthropology. Sara has been seriously pursuing photography since age 16, when she purchased her first professional camera. Her favorite subjects are nature and people, as well as delving into different social and cultural issues and controversies, but she will gladly take her camera anywhere. She is inspired by photographers (and anthropologists) such as Catherine Opie, Dan Eldon, and especially National Geographic photographers. While working towards an Advertising Photography degree, she loves the photojournalistic approach of real life and ideas, the fine art execution and indulgence of concepts, all combined with a strong technical advertising background. Later in her career she hopes to be working as a photojournalist, ultimately working with people and telling their stories in a strong visual and conceptual way.
