Reclaiming the Female Body

PHOTOGRAPHER KEERTHANA KUNNATH'S WORK-FOCUSING ON SOUTH INDIAN FEMALE BODYBUILDERS-CHALLENGES ESTABLISHED NOTIONS OF FEMININITY

- Nikhil Sardana

KEERTHANA KUNNATH'S NOT WHAT YOU SAW, CURRENTLY on view at both the Saatchi Gallery in London (till September 20) and Rencontres d'Arles in France, is a striking body of work that unpacks the politics of gender, power, and representation through a lens that is at once deeply personal and socially expansive. Centring on South Indian female bodybuilders, the project confronts dominant beauty standards, interrogates patriarchal ideals, and celebrates a rarely seen expression of womanhood.

Kunnath, a visual artist working between London and India, is known for her long-form, relationship-driven practice, one informed by her experiences growing up in a conservative South Indian environment. "Photography became a way to process those emotions," she reflects. "At first, it felt like journalling, but visually. Slowly, I realised it was also a way to start conversations that others could relate to."

This impulse towards dialogue and introspection is embedded in Not What You Saw. The project began when Kunnath was exploring new ideas and came across a female bodybuilder on social media. "That discovery led me to a small but vibrant community.... I began reaching out to them on Instagram, and some responded. I took time-through phone and video calls-to get to know them."