When Scars Become Landscapes: Monica Dhaka’s Powerful Portraits of Survival

Image: Collected

Visual artist Monica Dhaka is turning the scars left by acid attacks into striking landscapes in her latest solo photography exhibition, creating an intimate body of work that challenges how society looks at survivors.

The exhibition features close-up photographs of scarred skin belonging to acid attack survivors. Rather than presenting the scars solely as evidence of violence, Dhaka transforms their textures, contours and patterns into images resembling natural landscapes.

Through the series, the artist raises a deeply personal question: Who do we choose to see first—the woman or her scar?

The photographs invite viewers to look beyond the immediate visual impact of facial and bodily scars and consider the people behind them—their identities, experiences and resilience.

By reframing scars as landscapes, Dhaka's work challenges conventional representations of survivors and encourages audiences to reconsider the way physical differences shape perception.

The solo exhibition is being held for a limited period, with today marking its final day, giving visitors one last opportunity to experience Dhaka's photographic exploration of identity, perception and survival.