The Kaleidoscopic Self by Keerthana

Keerthana is a London-based photographer. Born in Calicut, India, her work is influenced by the vibrant and theatrical arts of India where she aims to open a dialogue around the ‘self’ and ‘other’. Through her new body of work ‘The Kaleidoscopic Self’ she is intending to unravel the politics of gender, identity, and sexuality along with religion. Her iterative practice in fashion photography acts as a medium of storytelling. She aims to catalyse between binary and non-binary while making a commentary on the societal conventions around gender. She is currently pursuing her postgraduate in Fashion Photography at London College of Fashion.

‘The Kaleidoscopic Self’ is a vibrant mythological tale that speaks about gods that become humans and humans that become gods. This project is led by my interest in divine possessions within the context of Indian culture and is a contemporary take on it. I aim to demystify that transformation from the true self to a divine self as it unfolds atypical layers of beauty thereby generating non-singular lines of interpretation. Creating an unconventional layer of beauty generating multiple layers of interpretation of different dimensions of oneself and the process of transformation from the human self to the goddess on earth. This metamorphosis from Human Self to Divine Self embodies not only liberation but also aggression that stems from her pain and suffering. A release, an emancipatory occurrence that is divine spiritual possession, facilitates an escape from the toxic fabrics of the society.

Team
Photography and art direction by Keerthana Kunnath
www.keerthanadinesh.com / Instagram: @kee_dinesh
Assisted by Jana Baracatt Jackson/ Instagram: @janabaracatt

Look 1,2,3 :
Model is SiuHui Chung signed at Contact Models / Instagram: @siuhei_dd
Make up by Bryanna Angel / Instagram: @bryanna_angel_mua
Hair by Tanya Faenza/ Instagram: @tania_hair_lnd

Look 4,5,7 :
Model is Black Peppa / Instagram: @iamblackpeppa
Make up by Miranda Baron / Instagram: @mirandabaronmakeup

Look 6 :
Model is Linda Maria signed at Contact Models / Instagram: @lindacarabali
Make up by Sian Curtin / Instagram: @siancurtinmakeup
Hair by Andrew Kyriakou / Instagram: @bigoudi_hair
Styled by Bessy Huang / Instagram: @gbessy__

Fashion:
Brands are Lavanda Contrabanda, Shades of Eadai, Karolina Brown
Jewellery by Bhavya Ramesh Jewelery