Before you see the scar

Artist Name

Monica Dhaka

My work looks at how bodies are seen before people are understood. Through photography, moving image, textiles, installation and digital manipulation, I work with communities shaped by scars, labour, discipline, violence and belonging. I use close detail, repetition and abstraction to slow the gaze and ask what it means to look beyond the first visible mark.

Artist Statement

Monica Dhaka is a visual artists questioning how bodies are represented, seen, and remembered. She does not use photography only as documentation, but as a material, collaborative, and reflective way to explore identity, recognition, and belonging.

Exhibition Statement

My work looks at how bodies are seen before people are understood. Through photography, moving image, textiles, installation and digital manipulation, I work with communities shaped by scars, labour, discipline, violence and belonging. I use close detail, repetition and abstraction to slow the gaze and ask what it means to look beyond the first visible mark.