Chinky Shukla
New Dehli, India
Summer 2026 * Photography
Artist Statement
The project When Buddha Stopped Smiling documents the human and environmental aftermath of the 1974 and 1998 nuclear tests conducted in Pokhran, a township in the north-western state of Rajasthan, India, where a quiet desert became a stage for power, pride, and paradox. It delves into the micro-histories of local communities, revealing stories of resilience, loss, and the constant fear of invisible nuclear radiation. Through portraits, landscapes, and symbolic visual narratives, the work captures the fragile interplay between memory, land, and the human condition.
Portrait of the photographer © Chinky Shukla
Works
When Buddha Stopped Smiling © Chinky Shukla
About the Photographer
Chinky Shukla is a documentary photographer based in New Delhi, India, whose work examines the human condition through themes of memory, environment, and cultural assimilation. Her practice is rooted in long-form storytelling, built through sustained engagement with communities, relationship-building, and a commitment to ethical, people-centered representation. Since 2011, Shukla has been documenting the long-term consequences of nuclear activity in India. Her work on the impact of uranium mining in Jadugoda, Jharkhand, led the State High Court to take suo motu cognisance of the mining company following a national newspaper feature in Hindustan Times in 2014. Her ongoing project in Pokhran, Rajasthan, focuses on communities living in one of India’s most significant nuclear testing regions, foregrounding personal stories of resilience, displacement, and intergenerational impact.
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