A young girl walks home. She is blinded by fear, not sure what she will find at each turn of the mountains.

—
“Growing up in India, I imbibed a sense of what girls could and could not do. ‘Good’ women were dutiful wives and sacrificing mothers; outside this circle were immoral women. There was no place for independent women to realize their dreams. I wanted to paint. Although I managed to find a way to pursue painting and survive, I saw several women fall prey to bad luck and predators. Over the years, I have made paintings about vulnerability and exploitation, the threat of human trafficking, and what it means to live in an oppressive world where women are restricted, manipulated, and sometimes treated like chattel. I am interested in activism to question existing structures and work to end inequalities and oppression.”

— Tara Sabharwal