Project Statement:
When my three daughters were young, I—like many mothers—wanted to take photographs of them to hang on my living room wall. I thought a formal portrait would be nice, like all those pictures of children wearing white on the beach that were in vogue at the time. Instead, I found myself drawn to moments when they were wrapped in their own thoughts, oblivious to me. I began taking pictures without asking them to stop what they were doing or to look up so I could snap a smile.
This collection of photographs shows my daughters and their cousins in action and not posed. In these moments the girls seem introspective, compared to their fast-paced world. These photographs often portray the calmness and serenity that I feel was fleeting in family life.
Artist Bio:
Tira Khan is a fine art and documentary photographer, specializing in women, girls, current events and place. Her past work as a staff reporter for regional newspapers informs her approach to visual narratives.
Tira’s photographs have been published in The New York Times Lens Blog, The Wall Street Journal and Huffington Post, among others. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows, including at the Danforth Art Museum and the Griffin Museum, both in the Boston area. Her portfolio, Growing Up Girl, is part of a traveling exhibit, Outspoken, which explores the idea of women and girls in American culture.
