Indian American teen tells stories of trauma through photography

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Yash Mangalick, an Indian American high school student was a featured youth artist at “Our Truth, Through Our Eyes,” a PhotoVoice exhibit focused on youth trauma.

The exhibit is in collaboration with The City of Minneapolis ReCast and Art is My Weapon in October.

Mangalick is an aspiring photojournalist and a sophomore at Edina High School in Edina, Minnesota.

He and the other featured artist Myesha Powell have used their works of art to tell stories of trauma like mental health, sexuality, homelessness and abusive relationships, from the youth living in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas, according to an MPR News report.

The goal is to connect people with the struggles that are shaping the next generation.

When Mangalick visited his parents’ hometown of Vrindavan, India, he “listened to the story of a woman who was sold as a child bride and later ostracized from her family as a widow,” which is what made him want to focus his work on social justice issues.

“The hope that was in their eyes when I was taking their pictures and talking to them showed me that journalism has this power to make people hopeful,” Mangalick told MPR News, adding how he is giving these struggles a purpose by educating the public to make sure they don’t happen again.

According to an MPR News report, Mangalick uses Photoshop to distort faces and make bodies float through the air as he combines traditional portraiture with photos.

A Dec. 12 TEDx talk revealed that Mangalick is involved in congressional debate, competitive speech, competitive robotics, boy scouts and the student leadership group, Edina 212.

He has also traveled to 15 different countries on four continents.