This was an exhibition consisting of images from the 1860s up till the present produced by 82 and practitioners born locally in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. The images explore culture and modernity allowing others to see development in the Indian subcontinent by using different forms of photography like journalism, documntary, experimental contemporary photography and portrait, focusing on family, street, schools, politics, global warming, performance and entertainment and the golden age of Bollywood and the Pakistani film industry known as Lollywood in the 1940s-50s, engaging with the idea of pretending to be someone else.
One of the series I liked was the Bombay Photo Studio Navarasa Suite created by Pushpamala. N. in 2002-03. This was a series of nine images consisting Pushpamala herself like Cindy Sherman playing different roles from the innocent to dangerous, peacemaker to rioter, abused to abuser lover to hater, happy to unhappy. Looking furtherin into Bollywood and Lollywood; the modernity of the images could be seen just by looking at the colours of the image, the relationship and positioning between the people.
Several images produced by Prabinddhe Dasgupta made me think what they were about as they were full of suspense created by zooming into one subject whilst paying attention to another subject in the image.
- White Chappel Gallery
