Isolation: Waiting to Exhale
By Swati Chakraborty | July 5, 2022
Alone, numb and terrified by the devastation that an invisible virus can bring, hope found it hard to flourish, but loneliness knew in its heart that this pandemic of isolation would be washed away by warm hugs and kind prayers and the resilience to thrive.
I had planned to visit India—where I grew up (I now live in the US)—at the end of April 2020. But all flights were canceled because of COVID. This was so difficult; I’d lost some of my loved ones and could not be with my family and friends who were living overseas. This image, taken in 2021, represents how I (and I am sure many others) felt during this time—alone, not knowing when (if ever) I would see, and be with, my loved ones again. That’s why my model is in a box—claustrophobic and isolated, surrounded by darkness (hence, the vast negative space)—hoping for a better day soon when she can be around family and friends again.
Swati Chakraborty, “Isolation: Waiting to Exhale” (April 2021)
This image is from my NFT Solitude and Salvation series on Foundation. Click here to view.
Copyright © 2022 Swati Chakraborty
Swati Chakraborty is a San Francisco-based HR professional-turned-photographer. She graduated from the New York Institute of Photography (NYIP) with two merit awards from the Dean and has received numerous international awards for her work from organizations including Professional Photographers of America (PPA), Master Photographers International (MPI), WPPI and many others. In 2022, she won the gold medal in the Portrait Category and Best of Nation at the World Photographic Cup. Swati’s work has been featured in various magazines, the recent one being the PRAZE magazine. An active participant in the NFT space, her collections can be viewed on Foundation and Sloika.