In a world obsessed with perfection, airbrushed pictures, and filtered realities, a black-and-white portrait exhibition at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) quietly however powerfully disrupts the noise. Every Smile Belongs is a compelling collaboration between Smile Train India, the world’s largest cleft-focused charity organisation, and photographer Komal Bedi Sohal, who has come up with a collection of images of children born with cleft lips and palates. But these are usually not footage of sorrow or medical situation; they’re tales of hope, braveness, playfulness, and identification.
“The exhibition is not about evoking pity; it is about pride,” says Komal, who transitioned from an promoting artistic director to a visible storyteller . “When I pick up the camera, I do not want to tell a sad story. I want to tell a true story and one filled with light, hope and strength.”
“Advertising taught me how to communicate an idea in a few seconds,” she says. But the lens by means of which she now communicates is extra intimate. “The goal is different; it is not about selling a product, but about restoring dignity,” she says.”
Photo on show at KNMA exhibition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
That dignity is woven by means of every portrait on show. Some of the children photographed are barely months outdated. Others are youngsters discovering their approach by means of dance, sports activities, or content material creation. On one aspect of the gallery are newborns recovering from surgical procedure, shot in quiet hospital rooms. On the opposite aspect, older children playful, vibrant, pose confidently in a public park.
The collaboration with Smile Train India started with a dialog however shortly turned a calling. “When I started learning more about Smile Train, I was amazed,” Sohal recollects. “It is not just about correcting a cleft but about building lives.”
Smile Train’s strategy resonated deeply with her. “Instead of glamour they wanted real, raw, honest storytelling. That was exactly what I also wanted.”
For Komal, empathy was not simply an perspective. It was a method. “I never walked in with a big flash or intimidating gear,” she explains. “For the pre-op photographs, I used natural light in hospital rooms. No equipment, no flashes. Just light through a dusty window.”
Photo on show at KNMA exhibition
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Each body was a end result of quiet belief. “I sat beside the mothers so that their babies would not be scared. I played with the babies, talked to the children, showed them how the camera worked. It was never just ‘point and shoot.’ It was a process of building trust.”
The post-operation portraits had been shot at Sanjay Park, Delhi, throughout a frigid January morning. “The kids were bundled up in warm clothes. But as we played, talked, and warmed up, they relaxed. Some said they loved to dance. One was a beauty influencer. Another loved cricket. One boy was studying horticulture. So I made images that reflected them, not just their faces.”
What strikes all through the exhibition is the absence of color. “I insisted on shooting in black and white. I did not want the distraction of colour. The focus had to be on the emotion, the gesture, the personality.”
Komal’s goal was to create what she calls “naked portraits”, uncooked, sincere, unfiltered. “We live in a world dominated by filters and retouching. I wanted to remind people that beauty lies in truth, not perfection.”
KNMA’s curation of the exhibition is interesting in that the portraits are grouped not by age or medical historical past, however by gestures, gentle and temper. One wall options children with expressive fingers. Another performs with eye contact. Some are grouped by motion — like children enjoying ball. It is a small area, however has been used fantastically to evoke most emotional influence.
Out of many, Komal narrates one second when a younger lady noticed her portrait for the primary time and walked as much as the body, put her cheek towards it, and simply stood there, holding it. “That image, that moment is what this exhibition is all about,” she says.
At KNMA, No. 145, DLF South Court Mall, close to Select Citywalk Mall, Saket District Centre, Sector 6, Saket; Till July 6; 10.30am to six.30pm; Mondays closed
Komal Bedi Sohal with her assortment of pictures on show at KNMA Delhi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
