Effigy of Man (2023–ongoing) explores patriarchal authority, migration, and intergenerational memory through the figure of my late grandfather. A strict and orthodox man, his persona was shaped by the Partition of 1947, when he was displaced from Multan to Haryana. Growing up in a joint family, I witnessed his authority ripple across generations. Today, living alone, I find his image resurfacing in my own life—through family pressures, societal ideals of masculinity, and the haunting persistence of displacement. My project seeks to dismantle and rework his image through staged portraiture, collage, and archival material. Using the studio as both a performative stage and a domestic interior, I embody fragments of his photographed body while reconfiguring familial and historical images. This dialogue opens space for vulnerability and alternative masculinities, situating the work within a feminist framework. With the Lucie Scholorship Program, I will (by the end of 2026) expand this body of work into new, more layered visual scenes. The funds will support studio production, archival printing, material experimentation, and the development of an artist book. Goals: 1. Produce at least 20 new staged and collaged images. 2. Integrate overlooked archival photographs and documents into the work. 3. Develop and print a series of images for exhibition. 4. Prototype and design an artist book. 5. Present the work publicly through exhibition and dialogue.
