About

The Truth upholds the fragrant Earth and makes the living water wet.
Truth makes fire burn and the air move, makes the sun shine and all life grow.
A hidden truth supports everything.
Find it and win.
— Ramayana

Poulomi Basu’s award-winning series Centralia (2010-2020) draws us in with lyrical images of mysterious landscapes and figures. We are quickly denied, however, the access and understanding that we often expect from photography—especially photography that seems to use the language of the documentary. This is Basu’s intention, as she crafts a narrative of “docu-fiction,” transforming the …