BackWeekday Lounge Exclusive | Art update
Weekday Lounge Exclusive | Art update
Click! Contemporary photography in India
Vadehra Art Gallery attempts its first foray into photography with an exhibition in collaboration with Fotomedia. Curated by Sunil Gupta and Radhika Singh, it will feature over a 100 images from over 80 photographers across the country. The exhibition took six months to plan and had Gupta and Singh going across the country to meet and look at works by various photographers. “We wanted to do this show in a big way with not just 25 or 30 renowned names. We looked at the works of over 600 photographers and then travelled across India to look at work by another 200," says Singh. /Content/Videos/2008-02-26/SS260208.flv34acbd6e-e39f-11dc-b5aa-000b5dabf613.flv
The idea of owning a photograph is new in India. The popularity of photography as an art form, has triggered off a rise, not only in photo exhibitions, but also in the opening of galleries dedicated solely to showcasing photography, such as Tasveer and Photoink in the Capital. “Earlier there were two types of photography exhibitions. Thsoe sponsored by NGOs or INGOs and the second by names such as Raghu Rai who held individual shows. This third type is a new phenomenon," says Singh.
Another reason, as with fine art, is the growing number of young buyers who consider art an investment. “Younger people have more money to spend and if they cannot afford paintings, they find photography more accessible and affordable," says Gupta.
The show looks at strategies employed by Indian photographers from different generations and the variety of themes that hold their interests from portraits, interiorscapes to gender themes. From Nizamuddin at night to the series Urban Landscapes by Gauri Gill depicting India’s barren wasteland, the exhibition will cover a range of topics. The exhibition will include both single works and groups of photographs.
At the Vadehra Art Gallery , Okhla Industrial Area, New Delhi; from 1 March to 29 March. The prices start from Rs8,000 per print.
One Story Song by Suman Gupta
Gallery Nvya will show about 30 recent works by Suman Gupta in this solo show, curiously titled One Story Song. Gupta is known for his simple and realistic rendition of scenes and people that surround him.
Kud, a hill station near Jammu, inspired these works: “My passion lies in the place and people around me—their way of dealing with nature, traditions and rituals is very fascinating," says Gupta.
He chooses to use brushes of dry acrylic, which allows him to achieve the detailed end result in his canvasses. Though his paintings have been compared with photographs, Gupta says it is a wrong parallel. “I play with colours and light, and like to tell a different story in each work," adds Gupta. The title for the exhibition came from one of his paintings titled One Story Song—that of a sarangi player under a tree that has numerous flags flying around it, in Kud. “I liked the way that name sounded, so I decided to name my entire exhibition the same," says Gupta.
At Gallery 1 and 2 of the Lalit Kala Academy, New Delhi; Till 5 March .
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