BENGALURU: It’s your work that stays even after you are dead, they say. And we can clearly see it happening in Dr Ranganath KS’s case, who passed away in 2021 due to Covid. The Last Poem, a photography exhibition of the clicks by Ranganath, will be held at the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, from May 16. The exhibition has been compiled by Ranganath’s friends and family. Ranganath was not only an award-winning photographer and artist, but also a professor in fine arts.
Ranganath mostly specialised in black and white photography and preferred the analog method. Ravikumar Kashi, who is currently a professor at Chitrakala Parishath, was also Ranganath’s classmate, and is one of the organisers of the show. “We studied and grew up together. He was a very good photographer. He was into black and white photography and won many state awards. This is going to be a comprehensive show on various themes and aspects of photography that he worked on. He developed his own films,” says Kashi, adding that the technique itself is going out of practice now.
Kashi adds that the show is tribute to Ranganath and his love for photography as an artform. “He had gifted his work to friends and family which we have collected. He followed several themes and was also into nature and people photography. There’s also an empty chair, which is a metaphor for loss. He had an unusual way of picking his themes,” says Kashi. This exhibition has been organised by the alumni association of Chitrakala Praishath. “We are also planning a memorial lecture too,” Kashi adds.
Many might remember Ranaganath as an “amazing photographer” but for Kashi he is an old friend who was full of life. “He was very generous and energetic. He really pushed his students to do good work and took a lot of pride in their work,” says Kashi.
(The Last Poem, a show of photographs by Dr Ranganath KS will be exhibited at Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath, Kumara Krupa Road, from May 16-22)