Dhoomimal Art Centre presents Before You See the Scar A Solo Photography Exhibition by Monica Dhaka

Dhoomimal Art Centre is delighted to present Before You See the Scar, a photography exhibition featuring the works of Monica Dhaka.

The exhibition opens with a panel discussion featuring Shaheen Malik (Founder and Director, Brave Souls Foundation), Reshma Bano Qureshi (National Coordinator, Brave Souls Foundation), and Ms. Premlata, moderated by Michelin-star chef and artist Suvir Saran, at 5 PM on 14th September at Dhoomimal Art Centre, Connaught Place.

Title of the show- Dhoomimal Art Centre presents Before You See the Scar
Artist Name- Monica Dhaka
Preview- Monday, 14th September, 2026
Time-5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Venue- Dhoomimal Art Centre, A8 Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001

The exhibition is open until 23rd September 2026, Monday to Saturday, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM at Dhoomimal Art Centre, A8 Connaught Place, New Delhi-110001

Before You See the Scar, made in collaboration with acid attack survivors from the Brave Soul Foundation, Delhi, is not just about the violence and heart-wrenching experiences these women have lived through. It is also about their survival, their identity, their dreams, and their right to be seen fully as people, with names, voices, families, work, hope, and futures.

All proceeds from the exhibition will go to the Brave Soul Foundation. The show is an invitation to see these women as they want to be seen, rather than through the identity that was forced upon them.

About Monica Dhaka

Monica is a visual artist working between India and the UK. Her work looks at identity, belonging, community, and gender-based discrimination. In this project, she focuses on how a survivor’s scar can become the first thing people notice, before they are seen as people.

She takes close-up images of skin, scars, bodies, and physical marks and, using mirroring, repetition, and digital image manipulation, turns them into landscapes or abstract forms.

From a distance, the image may appear beautiful or simple; up close, it reveals a body, a history, and a life that cannot be understood quickly. She asks what it takes to belong when the world has already decided what it sees first.

Speaking about the show, Monica Dhaka said, “I am interested in skin, scars, faces, bodies, and the marks people carry through life. Some marks come from violence and trauma, some from labour, some from discipline, and some from living outside what the world expects. In my work, I look at how these visible marks can become the first thing people notice, and how that first look can shape the way a person or community is seen and understood.”

Elaborating on the exhibition, Suvir Saran said, “The greatest privilege we can offer another human being is not to speak for them, but to create the conditions in which they can be heard. Monica has done precisely that. She has resisted the temptation to make these women symbols. Instead, she allows them to remain gloriously, irreducibly human. Perhaps that is why this exhibition lingers. It asks very little of us, and everything.”

Further commenting on the exhibition, Mohit Jain, Director, Dhoomimal Art Centre, said, “We often look for consistency in how artists create and interpret their work, sometimes focusing only on the visuals. Monica’s photography breaks this mould. By capturing the deeper repercussions of an act, her images move the viewer to experience an evocative duality – silence and screams together.”

Website: www.dhoomimalartcentre.com