The Dark Side of White Salt

In this piece, One Stroke highlights the profession of salt farming and pays an ode to its custodians – salt farmers. The mural is made from an image taken by young photographer Ranga Prasad, centrally featuring a salt miner working at a salt pan in Marakkanam – a coastal panchayat town near Chennai and one of the largest salt-producing regions in Tamil Nadu.

It’s a celebration of India’s unsung heroes who often toil for the country in harsh weather conditions without access to much protective equipment. One Stroke created the piece in a monochrome colour palette to highlight the hardships that often accompany salt farming, including hard physical labour and constant exposure to harsh sun, while his technique of hyperrealism seeks to centralise the salt farmer as the backbone of the state’s economy and its numerous communities.