'Problematic' photoshoots: the thin line between being evocative and insensitive

For as long as art has existed a debate has as well - art must provoke, art must evoke a reaction, art must shock: but the line between being provocative and being problematic is a thin one - or at least the internet seems to think so.

The latest subject matter for this conversation is a Vogue digital cover shoot featuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska, whose nation is locked in a war with Russia.

The first couple have been photographed amid scenes of destruction in war torn Ukraine.

Sharing the pictures on Instagram Olena Zelenska in a galvanising caption wrote - “I would like you to see every Ukrainian woman here, in my place. Who fights, volunteers, settles in a refugee camp, does her job under the sound of a siren, holds on under the occupation”

The photoshoot drew the ire of many, with a lot of people questioning the timing, relevance and tonality of the photoshoot.India too, is no stranger to photoshoots that have seen a vast distance between intention and execution.The 2012 Delhi gangrape of a student continues to be a blot on the collective conscience to this day.In 2014, Mumbai-based fashion photographer Raj Shetye released his photo series The Wrong Turn which depicted a lone Indian woman surrounded by men on a bus, fending off their advances.

While many accused the photographer of trying to make light of the horrendous case - an accusation Shetye vehemently denied, everyone did agree that the entire shoot glamourised sexual assault and was tonally off-base.

Coming in the line of fire for her first major photoshoot, debutante at the time, Sarah Ali Khan was called out for her Filmfare cover that many believed had racist undertones, and heavy cultural appropriation.

The cover showed the actress in Masaimara and people were upset that Masai tribesmen and women were used in the campaign as ‘props’ without any agency of their own. Slamming her for her privilege, netizens called the shoot ‘racist’ and ‘tone-deaf’. Many were also disappointed that no statement was issued by the actor or Filmfare about the pictures.

It’s not always explicit photoshoots but also more subtle ways of missing the mark that can be read as problematic. Such was the case of brand Raw Mango’s collection Zooni in 2019. Inspired by Kashmir, the collection and it’s promotional photos featured models in traditional Kashmiri clothing. While many argued that the shoot fetishised Kashmiri culture for capital gains, the timing of the campaign made a difficult situation much worse.

The collection which included clothes selling in the 5 figure ranges was released right after the abrogation of article 370. Many felt that exoticising the region at a time when the region was under heavy security and growing political tension was out of touch with reality and not respectful of the sentiments of Kashmiri people. The campaign imagery was eventually called back.

Art mirrors life and reality, but at what point does art stop being a tool for change and cross the line of empathy and sensitivity? We leave that to your judgement.