Spiritus / Takashi Sugimoto

“In a deep rural area of southern India, the powerful Hindu deity Balaji has a strong influence on Saraswathi. Like many women in her village, she combs the long dark hair of her young daughters in a daily ritual. Excess hair gains monetary value when the Narikurava, an outcast bird-hunting tribe, visit the villages to collect hair in exchange for household items. 

BLACK GOLD is human hair. One day, Saraswathi decides to offer her precious long hair to the deity Balaji in a temple to fulfil a wish. Again, someone somewhere in the world profits from her spiritual act.”

These photographs were taken during the development and production of the 2024 film BLACK GOLD directed by Takashi Sugimoto in a remote area of southern India between 2017 and 2022. This book engages in dialogue with the film. The two works are akin to an exchange of letters.