Basu evokes the unique power of women when they are given equal opportunities and education.

Inspired by a Bangladeshi girl who lost her home to rising water levels, this eerie photo shows a woman sitting atop a bed floating in a vast, misty lake. “When your home is sinking, what means of access to water and toilets does a girl actually have?” Basu asks.

A reminder of the impace of the water crisis on child brides. “Many girls who marry early carry the burden of water collection for their families and forfeit their education,” says Basu.

Women and girls in many countries are shouldered with the responsibility of collecting water for their families – many miss out on much of their education, while others leave school entirely.

In this powerful photo, Basu evokes the great cosmic mother, a once powerful figure who has been weighed down with the burden of carrying water.

A woman in fiery red approaches a burning hut, representative of a chaupadi, where women in Nepal are sent during their menstrual cycles. Basu says: “Alluding to menstrual exile, the woman is dressed in a red, claustrophobic veil walking towards the hut because she has no other choice.”

Inspired by a girl who left school due to menstrual taboos, Basu transforms the bleeding womb into a defiant superhero.

“Without toilets at home, women must often venture into dark forests and across difficult terrains at dawn, dusk and during the night to go to the toilet in the wilderness,” says Basu. 

In many indigenous cultures, women are seen as protectors of natural resources. This photo evokes the sacred relationship between women and water.

As climate change devastates the natural world, women disproportionately bear the burden. “In the background we see melting snow and bodies of water indicating the imminent danger of the climate crisis that threatens the woman’s future,” Basu says.

An allusion to the harmful effects of cyclones and disrupted weather patterns and a comment on inequalities that stem from menstrual taboos. Basu says: “She is emanating red smoke as a metaphor for the magical powers of menstruation even though she is dressed in a claustrophobic red veil.”  

“In indigenous cultures the territoriality of a woman’s body is directly linked to the territory she occupies,” says Basu. “The devastation of the land for me is a metaphor for the war on the body of women and the illusion of her rights. What happens to women, happens to the land and vice versa.”

Painted in gold, this woman faces the impact of war on natural resources and, in turn, on her rights and freedoms.

An eerie image of a woman returning home with what Basu suggests is contaminated water. Dirty water is widespread across the globe – more than 800 children die each day from related diseases.