Inspired by her father's sculpture of a Hindu goddess that has served as her spiritual anchor in America for 40 years, Sharbari decides to travel to Kolkata, the city of her childhood summers, to film clay idol-makers and the breadth and depth of their talent. There, she meets several artisans as they begin their labor of molding statues for Durga Puja, the annual worship of the Goddess Durga.
But they are not the men historically designated to this trade by caste. Like Sharbari and her father Parimal, they are the outliers:
China, one of the first female artisans in a male-dominated potters' quarter called Kumortuli, who has remained unmarried to care for her elderly mother; Shreetoma, a self-taught artisan, makeup artist, and model who is transgender and recovering from self-harm; and Arka, a fashion photographer and artist whose images explore human desire but whose statues allow him to turn inward and recover from loss.
During each visit with the artisans, Sharbari sees more of herself in their struggles and gains courage from their harrowing stories. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse, she stands witness to how they are breaking cycles of generational trauma as she prepares to break her own.
She connects with their humanity, as someone who also experienced soul-shattering pain and uses spirituality and creativity to cope—just like her father, a Bengali immigrant mourning his mother’s death for decades. On her journey, Sharbari comes to realize that the artisans' lives are as complex and tragic as her own. Her and her father's story of healing through faith and art is mirrored in the artisans' lived experiences.
Lacking a space to voice painful memories and emotions, Bengali artisans and immigrants alike turn to rituals and traditions passed down from their ancestors like a spiritual calling. As their hands mold clay and adorn statues with decorations, they give form to the strength and love that the Goddess Durga represents. Their art is their prayer and She is their resilience manifested.
Often depicted in West Bengal as a many-armed goddess in the act of destroying a male demon, Durga is a symbol of justice and nurturing. Artisans and worshippers who pray for Durga's protection, equate her victory over evil to the promise and potential of womanhood.
Incarnations of I is a healing work of art that is itself a prayer—an offering to community and culture. It is a collective speaking out—a desire to be seen, heard, and loved—in a vulnerable dialogue about mental health.