Born Into Brothels

Start Date: January 25 8:00 AM
This event is open to the public

"Born into Brothels" showcases a series of photographs taken by children of Calcutta prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gave eight children a camera and asked them to look at the world through a different lens. Gour, a then-13-year old boy who photographed his friends playing cricket and his pet rabbit explains the power of the camera, “I want to show in pictures how people live in this city. I want to put across the behavior of man.”

In 1997, Briski moved to Calcutta to document the lives of the more than 10,000 women and girls working as prostitutes. While living in the brothels, Briski developed relationships with the children and, after recognizing their fascination with the camera, began to teach them basic photography. The result: "Born into the Brothels."

Kids with Cameras was founded in 2002 to raise money for and awareness of these children. The organization has supported the education of several children from the original photography workshop. One of the children completed his secondary schooling in Utah and is now studying film at NYU Tisch School for the Arts. Another arrived in the U.S. one year ago to finish her secondary schooling and expects to graduate in 2011. Many of the other children are excelling in private schools in India.

For a peek at some of the photographs on display, visit http://www.kids-with-cameras.org/home/

"Born into Brothels" will be on exhibit in the Gelb Gallery from January 25 to April 5.