Anusha Yadav

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Anusha Yadav (born 1975) is an Indian photographer, [1] acclaimed editorial designer, and the founder of the pioneering online archive Indian Memory Project . Her interdisciplinary work spans photography, design, paper arts and historical archiving, and is widely recognized for its originality, cultural depth, and narrative power.

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Photography

Yadav is noted for her photographic series Portrait of a city (2010), where she documented different nationalities residing in one city of Salzburg (Austria), Home: An irrevocable condition (2013), Transfixed (2020) and in particular - Impersonations (2017), in which she reimagines herself as iconic women from history and popular culture [2] [3] [4] , including Bettie Page, Mata Hari, and Mehr-un-Nissa. The series has garnered critical attention for its exploration of identity, femininity, and performative memory. [2] [5]

Indian Memory Project

In 2010, she founded Indian Memory Project — the world’s first narrative-based online archive that uses personal photographs and family histories to trace the sociocultural fabric of South Asia and the Indian subcontinent. The project has been globally recognized for redefining the role of public memory and personal history in historical discourse. [6] [7] [8] [9]

The Photograph is Proof

The Photograph is Proof is a research-based archival photography project by Yadav that examines how photography has been used as evidence in India's criminal and political history. Drawing from rarely seen forensic archives, police records, and media imagery, the project questions the authority and narrative power of the photographic image.

Sparked by her discovery of Indian Art Studio—Mumbai’s oldest police photography studio—Yadav explored landmark cases like the Alipore Bomb Case (1908), the Nanavati-Ahuja murder trial (1959), and the Amherst Street murder (1868), highlighting photography's role or absence in shaping public perception and state control.

The series was exhibited at the Format International Photography Festival (UK, 2015) and Chemould Prescott Road (Mumbai, 2017), and has been praised for its critical inquiry into the intersection of memory, myth, and visual evidence. [10]

Editorial Design

As an award-winning book designer, she has crafted high-profile publications for institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Apeejay Surrendra Group, and Welspun World. She has also designed landmark monographs for contemporary Indian artists including Vivan Sundaram, Anant Joshi, and Mithu Sen, as well as galleries such as Chemould Prescott Road.

Collections

Her works are included in several private collections and the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Anusha Yadav: Mehr-un-Nissa". The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
  2. 1 2 "Visual artist Anusha Yadav is clicking self-portraits dressed up as iconic women". Hindustan Times. 16 December 2016.
  3. ↑ "Anusha Yadav's recent photography series is about the art of self-exploration". Elle India. 8 March 2018.
  4. ↑ Glentzer, Molly (9 April 2018). "Art Daybook: 'Impersonations' of legendary women". Chron.
  5. ↑ Gilbert, Sarah (9 March 2018). "Celebrating contemporary Indian photography – in pictures". The Guardian.
  6. ↑ Walia, Nona (24 March 2013). "Sepia-toned diaries". The Times of India.
  7. ↑ "Anusha Yadav on the Indian Memory Project". The Indian Express. 9 January 2019.
  8. ↑ Alexander, Deepa (21 October 2020). "Indian Memory Project: Time travel through the history of a nation". The Hindu.
  9. ↑ Almeida, Rhea (7 September 2015). "Telling India's Story Through Pictures: The Indian Memory Project". The Quint. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  10. ↑ "CSI India: A collector of memories revisits old crimes and investigations through photographs". Scroll.in. March 9, 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2025.
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