Sheetal Mallar

Dabolim (2014)

This series offers us a rare glimpse into the workings of the naval officers at the Dabolim Naval Base in goa, which is a restricted military facility. The photographer invites us to pay attention to the rich symbolism of color, rank and ritual, constitutive of a social order in which the explicit recognition of command is of fundamental importance. The most apparent instance of this expression of authority lies in the uniform itself, the regimentation of the body.  In a world where demeanour says much about training, the viewer may wonder whether these poses are intrinsic to military tradition or are struck merely for the camera.

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