CHENNAI: What is the role of coincidences in shaping our lives? Strangers or unexpected incidents could have tremendously altered our life paths. These thoughts are at the centre stage of an online photography exhibition that launched on September 15. Titled ‘Images of Encounter’, this virtual exhibition brings together 29 photographers from across the world to weave together a singular idea.
The word ‘encounter’ finds many uses in the presentday world, but do we know how important it is for a photographer? The curatorial note of the exhibition says, “Artists can be counted among the few whose lives are shaped more by coincidences rather than other factors. A new idea or inspiration could be the result of an accidental meeting with a person or a thought.
This brings the lives of photographers to the very centre of the word encounter. Out in the field or inside the darkroom (digital or analog), a photographer’s unexpected meeting with incidents determines the outcome of his/her work.” The exhibition is conceived and curated by the Ekalokam Trust for Photography (EtP) based in south India. “With the pandemic forcing the world to rethink existing practices, the field of art is looking at digital spaces to move forward.
That’s how we stumbled upon the idea of organising an online show,” says Abul Kalam Azad, renowned photographer and cofounder of the EtP, whose work titled ‘Senti-Mental’ is also part of the show. The exhibition, which was officially launched on the International Day of Democracy by cultural anthropologist and Padma Shri awardee Christopher Pinney, will go on indefinitely. “Online shows allow such indefinite timelines. T
hat is the beauty of digital space,” says Tulsi Swarna Lakshmi, curatorial member of the exhibition. The participants include both seasoned photo artists as well as youngsters. While Pulitzer winner Nick Oza presents his encounters with illegal migrants along India-Bangladesh border, ace Indian photo artist Ram Rahman narrates his experiences in the political circles in Delhi. The show features anthropological photographer Mukul Roy, who has documented the lives of women in India like no one else. The exhibition also includes two photographers from Tamil Nadu, RR Srinivasan and Naveen Gowtham. The exhibition can be viewed at imagesofencounter.com.