as a djinn is a collection of photographs of the city of Delhi, India—Kira Issar's hometown. The images were made over four years (2018–2021), during which she observed and photographed her city through a lens of grief and emotional turbulence.
Delhi, the capital of India, has been the seat of power for many empires. It is chaotic, aggressive, eerie, and ugly, but also charming, resilient, surreal, and seductive. Perhaps it is all these things because of what it has survived: being built, razed, and rebuilt, century after century. They say the city has been rebuilt seven times, with the one standing today being the eighth—a crowded, noisy concrete labyrinth, a sedimented necropolis.
Among dusty tombs of forgotten royalty, bolted staircases, and bored pigeons; amidst seasonal flowers, frustrated graffiti, and neglected museum treasures, Kira shows her city—as a djinn.
120 Pages , 20.3 x 20.3 cm, soft cover, MOM (Melbourne).