Ranita Roy
Bapi
Ranita Roy Bapi
Ranita Roy Bapi
Bapi, Ranita Roy’s video-essay, offers an intimate perspective on the devastating consequences of growing unemployment in India. The essay fluctuates between serene landscape shots and conversations within her family that are striking in their candour. Roy articulates the altered state of her relationship with her father, who was rendered paralyzed by a stress-induced stroke, after being fired from his job.
Although reportage on issues of unemployment is abundant, it rarely captures the consequent emotional stress and familial disruption. Through tranquil landscapes, tender family portraits, and candid thoughts, Roy tries to understand and empathize with the grief she experiences after witnessing her parent become disabled, as well as the grief of her entire family.
Roy's film serves as a visual poem, addressed to her father to express her love and concern for him and his health, while expressing her hope for a brighter future. Through her family’s story, the film indirectly comments on the economic decline in India and the government’s inability to provide a social-security net.
The work of Ranita Roy is part of the group exhibition Space to Breathe, curated by Newsha Tavakolian and on display in the Grote Kerk Breda.
Ranita Roy
Ranita Roy (b. 1994, Howrah, India) is a visual story-teller based in India. She works with photography and video, with a focus on environmental issues, social justice, and mental-health. Her work has been published in The Washington Post Magazine, The New York Times, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, BBC, and British Journal of Photography. In 2021, Ranita Roy was nominated for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award and selected for the Magnum Foundation Photography and Social Justice Fellowship.
Website – www.ranitaroy.com
Location: Grote Kerk
Ranita Roy Bapi