KOCHI: Thiruvananthapuram native John Bennet has been fascinated with photography since his school days. He took up freelance photography after his graduation and has travelled extensively to take photos. His love for capturing pictures of humans, wildlife, and landscapes can be seen in his photography exhibition ‘Mirror’ which is being held at Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery, Nanthancodu.
According to John, the photos in the exhibition reflect the relationship between humans and nature. “A great harmony existed between humans and wildlife, which disappeared eventually. Since then we have experienced some of the worst natural disasters. Even now we are going through a hard time. My exhibition is to remind people about the importance of loving nature and protecting it,” says John. The exhibition features around 64 photos, which he took while visiting different parts of India and abroad.
John has been a part of various group exhibitions and even conducted a solo exhibition in the Maldives. This is his first solo exhibition in Kerala. “The pictures that I have captured have reality coupled with imagination and creativity. I have tried to portray the mood of life and nature’s magnificence at the same time, trying not to lose the living energy. I compose photographs to understand what our lives mean to us. I was guided by my father John T L, who was also an artist and photographer with the Kerala University,” adds John.
‘Mirror’ is getting good responses from the viewers. “People are happy to come out to these exhibitions after so long. I could see many smiling on seeing the photographs and It delights me.” The photos are for sale at reasonable prices and a few of them have already been sold out.
John, who is also into product, food, and wedding photography, plans to get back to work after the exhibition. “I couldn’t travel last year. Now I need to raise some amount and start traveling again once the pandemic is under control.” The exhibition will conclude on Monday.