Gayatri Malhotra
Photographer based in Washington, DC
ABOUT
Gayatri Malhotra is a natural light, street photographer, and advocate for gender equity and human rights.
Gayatri picked up a camera for the first time in 2014, quickly finding photography as a way to release her latent creativity that had been suppressed as a girl growing up in an Indian household. She was a recent college grad, and was back home living with her parents. Under the pressure of traditional Indian expectations, she was raised to believe that her only option was to become a doctor.
Unable to deny her values in freedom and independence, she embarked on a journey of self-discovery to answer the question-- what's my life's purpose? One of her greatest clues would reveal itself in the form of a Nikon D7100 DSLR camera.
It wasn't until 2016 that Gayatri found her passion for photography. While leading an evaluation study with Girl Rising in India, she learned from the school-children and community about the challenges girls and women faced. Listening to their stories and photographing their lives, Gayatri identified a piece of her life's purpose-- every girl and woman should have an equal chance to fulfill their dreams and achieve their full potential. Through these moments, Gayatri's vibrant, warm, and crisp photography style was conceived.
In 2020, the Black Lives Matter movement reignited her passion for equity and justice in the U.S. and she shifted her focus to social justice photography. Gayatri is known for her acute precision, tenacious attention to detail, and impactful shots. Her work has been featured in TIME’s 2020 Person of the Year Video, Women's Caucus for Art exhibitions “Looking for America: DC” and "Black and White", and “Signs of Change: Voices of 2020” at the Gallery of Contemporary Mosaics. She is also a member of Femme Fatale DC's artist entrepreneurship program.
ARTIST STATEMENT
Gayatri’s photographs are intended to be utilized as an advocacy tool to inspire action, spark conversation, and empower communities of color with high-quality photographs that represent them, their voices, and their lived experiences in the fight for social justice, gender equity, and human rights. Gayatri is passionate about capturing moments that document the inherent strength and resilience of women of color, including women from the South Asian community, in the media and in art, because representation matters. She is committed to using photography as a tool for social change.
Website: gayatrimalhotraphotography.com
Instagram: @gdm.photographs