KOCHI: From close-up shots of elephant’s skin and its tusk to photographs portraying the mighty animal becoming a slave to man, wildlife photographer Praveen Mohandas’ solo exhibition titled ‘Kari’ meaning both ‘black’ and ‘elephant’ feature the many states of the gentle giant. The ongoing exhibition at Longtime Art Gallery, Jawahar Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram showcases 15 photographs and an installation.
The installation comprising a photograph of a wild elephant, accompanied by a chain while the grunts of the animal reverberate through the speaker is particularly powerful. Praveen has explored themes of body, memory and destiny.
Although the Thrissur-based photographer has displayed his works at a group photo-painting exhibition on wild elephants held last year at the Lalitha Kala Akademi Art Gallery in Thrissur, this is his first solo exhibition. “My journey as a photographer started with me capturing landscapes, people and architecture but I finally found my abode in wildlife photography and stuck to it,” says Praveen. Though he has been clicking away for more than 20 years, his tryst with wildlife photography began 14 years ago.
The images under the category ‘body’ focus on the elephant’s size, its tusks which are used for self-protection. The ‘memory’ series tries to draw a parallel between an elephant’s earliest memories with that of a child. Familial connection of both man and animal is prominent. Under ‘destiny’, Praveen has represented the uncertain future of these wild beings due to climate change and deforestation.
An architect by profession, Praveen is working on a bigger project presenting five themes about elephants, their environment, the power relation between them and different species in the animal kingdom, body, memory and destiny. The exhibition will conclude on March 16.