An Artist at twenty-one & a Philosopher too! Sohini Chattopadhyay creates a new world of digital imagery in her solo debut at Art Konsult, New Delhi

New Delhi: Call her a prodigy if you must, but there is no denying the fact that having barely turned 21, Bangalore-based Sohini Chattopadhyay has already caught the eye of art connoisseurs across the country. While she has already tasted success with eminent group shows, and especially as part of the art outing in Cairo on a Lalit Kala Akademi platform last year, she is now all set to make her solo debut in India with her exhibition titled Step in Light at Art Konsult, New Delhi. Comprising of twenty-six photography based digital prints on archival paper created over a period of two years, the show will be held at Art Konsult, 23, Hauz Khas Village, New Delhi from July 15, 2009 to August 15, 2009.

Sohini captures photographs with a painter’s eye and then juxtaposes images through varied digital maneuvering to create her own visual world. The entire series of works have been divided into four subsets, the first being titled Time, the dressmaker composed of self portraits and intimate still lives combined with occasional seascapes. The second series comprises of pictures of found objects juxtaposed with landscapes which conceal the identity of the object and create a whole new metaphorical aura, especially in My shadow in the evening has risen to meet me. The third series captures the essence of time with pace and speed resulting in the camera capturing multiple shots of run sequences thereby heightening the idea of detached yet attached freedom in works like To Reach the Blossoms and the Golden Thread series. The fourth series titled Global Quotation juxtaposes the protagonist with various props that have a constant narrative flowing through them.

Time and hope forms the central backbone of her first series titled Time, the Dressmaker, comprising of six intimate compositions, each work capturing a moment of life. Here, she juxtaposes painted self portraiture with seascapes using motifs like a hand, seascapes and clocks. She also introduces and captures infinite space in various sequences and presents the symbolic self portraiture in significant tones of burgundy so as to create a rather personal atmosphere. Explains the artist: “As a cultural commuter, I have been constantly engaged in the sophisticated play with identity. ‘Time’ becomes a constant witness to the ever changing attire that we put forward to the world. Thus, in this series I have made ‘Time’, the protagonist as a Dressmaker.”

The second series of her work, based on photographs of various still lives and landscapes, has a more poetic flavor greatly inspired by T S Eliot. The angle of the photography in this segment not only conceals the identity of the object but rather creates a whole new cognitive metaphorical aura through strategic juxtaposition. My shadow in the evening has risen to meet me is one of the prominent work in the series which is the result of her constant experiments with digital technologies.

The third set comprises a series of images that capture the essence of action and time, arousing the quest, urge and discovery of the human mind. For instance, her work titled To Reach the Blossoms consists of an image in action which shows the great leap towards the known and the unknown freedom. Similarly, Golden thread of Unity Running and Golden thread of Freedom Run shows figures running in a struggle to free themselves from unknown bondage. The overlapping of the aspects of the run in both works and the drapery with butterfly imprints signifies the essence of floating. Yet another work titled Tracing Byways of Freedom, denotes the metaphor of the crossroads where the printed butterflies and floating birds are moving in opposite directions. One notices that printed butterflies which have wings are unable to fly as they are caught in the thread of the drapery and, on the other hand, the birds which are not caught as an imprint of the drapery are also hesitant to take flight with wings closely attached to the body.

The fourth segment is the concluding Global Quotation which is a visual commentary of the current global situation. Dealing with the ideology of protection and overprotection, the work shows juxtaposition of the protagonist with the helmet and images of leaf plates placed one above the other. The work indicates the references to the various questions raised in the context of human existence. The repeated sequencing of the protagonist points towards the understanding of existence taking place as an isolated solitary phenomenon in an uncompromising world. It also reflects on the idea that we create our own human nature through the independent view and the choices that we thereby take.

Explains Sohini: “I have been inspired by various personalities from history and present, especially T. S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land” and its significance of the universal global idea.” She also says that Swami Vivekananda’s lecture Maya and Freedom delivered in London on the 22nd October 1896 has played a major role in creating Step in Light. Some other masters who influenced this young artist are authors Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. She adds: “The evolution of my works have also resulted due to the search of content that is on the face of it abstract, but at a deeper level symbolic, and that content is necessarily philosophical and religious.”

The curious fact present in the midst of all our joys and sorrows, difficulties and struggles, is the fact that we are all advancing towards freedom. In response to our quest “What is Universe?” Step in Light is an exhibition that reinstates - ‘In freedom it rises, in freedom it rest and in freedom it melts away’. Perhaps, an apt summation of an artist’s work who herself is a young philosopher!

The Fuschia Tree exhibition Delhi –Beyond the Lens showcases photographs of extraordinary quality by ordinary people

New Delhi: How often does a 11-year-old, a software engineer, a businessman or a homemaker get the chance to exhibit their work, even though they might be able to capture on camera a photograph that is a work of art? Well, The Fuschia Tree art gallery has gone ahead and given that chance! With a photography exhibition titled Delhi – Beyond The Lens, The Fuschia Tree brings to the city images captured on camera by a group of amateur photographers who were part of the gallery’s unique photography workshops held over the last three months. The exhibition will comprise of twenty photographs that will be shown from June 26, 2009 to July 15, 2009 at The Fuschia Tree Gallery, 201, F-7 East of Kailash, New Delhi. (www.thefuschiatree.com)

Says Chanda Chaudhury Barrai, MD and founder, The Fuschia Tree: “Three months ago when we launched Dilli 6, a series of six stylishly conceptualised photo workshops, it was our belief that if we created an environment which inspires and guides, in an experiential, interactive and fun way, most people would be able to push the boundaries of their imagination and technique to create exceptional work. And we were right! In the past weeks, I have shared the results of our first two workshops with members of the art community and everyone has appreciated the quality of work which has emanated from these workshops. Bringing this exhibition in our gallery not only means that we endorse the work which is being showcased but also a commitment to the quality of the workshops we are conducting.”
The exhibition, thus, forms an integral part of Dilli 6, a series of six photography workshops that was launched by The Fuschia Tree in April 2009 and is designed to cover six aspects that truly represent the very essence of Delhi. What makes the workshops even more unique is that these are being led by professional photographers as team leaders. Adds Chanda Chaudhury Barrai: “I am very proud to say that our leaders have inspired an eclectic group of 22 participants of different age groups and photography skill to create good, quality work.”
While the exhibition comes as a welcome platform to those budding photographers who were part of the first two workshops based on street and food photography in April and May, the ongoing series of photography workshops that will continue till the end of this year will be interspersed with more such exhibitions.
Coming back to Delhi- Beyond The Lens, the participants of the first two workshops honed their photography skills under the guidance of their respective team leaders namely Nagender Chhikara, Bikash Das and Sephi Bergerson. While Nagender Chhikara and Bikash Das imparted their passion and imagination on the concept of street photography and took the group to the alleys of Purani Dilli, Sephi Bergerson led his group to explore the street foods of Delhi. The photographs in the exhibition, thus, are a result of the both the eclectic guidance of the team leaders as well as the unabated enthusiasm of participants who worked upon their skills to capture the fleeting moments that touch our hearts through the artistry of lenses.

The works in the exhibition are displayed thematically with group-wise division between Where Dilli Begins (focusing on Street Photography) and Taste of Dilli (focusing on Food Photography). Each group represents the vision and direction of the leader who has guided amateur photographers to create a body of imagery that not only follows a line of thought but also weaves a storyline into an exhibition.

What’s interesting, though, is the concept of bringing different perspectives of the same subject from the eyes of participants of varied age groups and profession. For instance, If 11-year-old student Shreya Sahai creatively captures the colors of spices in her work titled Spice market, then on other hand, 43-year old filmmaker Prashant Sareen was enchanted to capture the smoke, flames and the wafting aroma of sizzling kebabs. Yet another 11-year old Vimanyu Devgan, whose primary interest was in landscapes and animals, developed a keen interest in street food after coming under the guidance of his team leader. His work titled Ready for Tea? is taken at Ustad Chai Wala, Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid. “The boy in the picture is a helper at the tea stall. It was wonderful to capture him getting the glasses ready for the next lot of tea drinkers with a smile on his face”, says Vimanyu. Talking about a similar experience of food photography, says journalist Neha Bhatt: “I often write features on food and culture. I suppose what caught my eye about my work titled The Umbrella was the delicious, glossy red of the Roohafza, and the stunning effect of the sunshine trying to force its way from behind the umbrella. I think taking pictures of food comes a close second to eating it.”

For photo-enthusiast Manish Jaju, street photography is one of the most fascinating and challenging of all forms. His untitled work speaks for itself telling tales about the exchange of damaged currency notes for good ones, offering a margin to the seller. Explains Manish: “This shot captures one of the many kinds of business that people engage in, in order to make a living. I loved the timing of this shot, as it captures an essential moment of the transaction where the buyer has his hand inside the pocket to pull out some money in damaged condition and the seller has a currency note ready in his hand to exchange with the buyer.”

Artist and designer Prateek Dubey’s work titled Locked has metaphors attached with locks and the position of the feet. Says Prateek: “Locked things are those which are precious and kept in abeyance. It’s like the potential energy. I found a simile between locks on a steel cabinet and the man sleeping with his feet locked. Since the photograph was taken in early morning, and the day had not yet begun there were forces yet to be unleashed unto the world. One can notice that the feet are dirty and have toiled the previous day but now everything is quietly locked and rested for rejuvenation.”

Avinash Kumar, a development activist, was inspired to take up photography in order to capture the life struggles of people he came across as part of his work and travel. Through his work titled Snacking he portrays the contradiction between the hard life of a rickshaw puller enjoying a cup of tea and a moment of peace. On the other hand, is homemaker Sudha Sivakumar’s work titled Piece of Luck that captures an interesting moment with two youngsters playing a game at leisure while forgetting the chaos and routine of the morning. Says Sudha: “One of the most important part of my life is the early morning routine and rituals. Hence, I was driven to capture these kids who might have wanted to try their luck in the wee hours of the day.”

While software engineer Mohit Gupta’s Lazy Sunday captures the otherwise busy lanes of Chandni Chowk almost taking a day off on a Sunday morning, finance student Siddharth Bhargava’s work titled Orange captures everything about a person apart from the face and yet conveys a story.

Ansel Adams once said that “there are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs” - and these works in the exhibition are indeed good photographs.

The show thus celebrates the old and the new, the raw and the refined, the hot and the cold, amongst all those things that makes Delhi the space that it is – beloved of those who live in it and an alluring mystery to those who come to visit.