In its 16th edition, the Krishnakriti Art and Culture Festival turns the spotlight on the transformation of urban spaces, people and cultures. The theme ‘Urban Frames — visual practices and transitions’ has facilitated pan-Indian artists, architects, art historians, conservationists, photographers and other stakeholders to collaborate and present a spectrum of viewpoints. The core from which the exhibitions and workshops of Krishnakriti 2019 emerge are the vintage photographs and maps of Kalakriti Archives.
The exhibitions will explore ideas of cosmopolitanism, pluralism and cultural exchange between different cities through visual arts. Here’s what to expect from some of them:
Digital transitions
‘ From Atom to Pixel’ by Nandan Ghiya
Kalakriti Art Gallery, January 3 to 16
An image from Nandan Ghiya’s ‘Atom to Pixel’ for Krishnakriti 2019
Jaipur-based Nandan Ghiya was at a residency programme with Kalakriti more than a year ago, during which he identified images from Kalakriti Archives that he’d like to work on. He tells us that he’s always enjoyed working on ‘found photographs’ and re-purposing or upcycling them to make them relevant in contemporary context. Nandan Ghiya’s grandfather was a studio photographer and there was no dearth of archival images while he was growing up. “Vintage images are a document of an era — of people’s clothing, lifestyles, and their culture. The downside of globalisation is how it has flattened the world, leading to a loss of distinct identities. Through photography, I look for what’s lost and document the transitions,” he explains.
An image from Nandan Ghiya’s ‘Atom to Pixel’ for Krishnakriti 2019
‘From Atom to Pixel’ will showcase 34 images he’s worked on over a year and a half. The title is an allegory to the continuous shift in identities and cultures, since the time of early photographs to the digital pixels. While noticing the shifts, Nandan is also observant of how some things don’t change: “We adapt with changing times but deep within, retain our national, religious and other identities. My artistic search is to understand where we are heading,” he says, pointing out that beyond physical identities, we express ourselves differently on social media platforms.
Nandan’s next project is in collaboration with Delhi-based The Alkazi Foundation For the Arts.
People and cities
Spectacular: Cities and People, curated by Deepthi Sasidharan
State Gallery of Arts, January 4 to 17
A 19th century image from Kalakriti and Krishnakriti Archives, curated by Deepthi Sasidharan for ‘Spectacular: Cities and People’ for Krishnakriti 2019
Mumbai-based art historian Deepthi Sasidharan is curating a showcase of nearly 70 images from Kalakriti Archives that will present glimpses of 19th century Hyderabad, Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. Photographs dating back to the 1860s, taken by the British, travellers, and several photo studios, will hark back to the era.
Deepthi is the founder-director of Eka Archiving, a cultural advisory, and works extensively on heritage and museum projects across India. She selected images that would be in sync with Krishnakriti 2019’s theme, working around several constraints. For instance, some of the 19th century images are extremely photosensitive and cannot be displayed in a public space for long. Only those images that are strong enough to cope with transport, light and other parameters were considered. Conservationists stepped in to frame these images using glass, wood and other materials to ensure zero moisture. And the lights at State Gallery of Art would be maintained at a lower level so as to not damage the sensitive images. Deepthi draws our attention to the fact that very few institutions in India use archival material for public outreach programmes. “There are fewer institutions that have 19th century photographs,” she says. She browsed through hundreds of “rare and precious” images and moved away from the usual. She’s familiar with Hyderabad and states, “The most popular photographer of that era is Raja Deen Dayal people in the city are familiar with his images. Even those who don’t know his name would immediately identity these images as pertaining to Hyderabad. I didn’t want a similar showcase yet again. So we’ve included images of other cities.” Expect to see original photographs from the archives of Kalakriti and Krishnakriti under the sections ‘Spaces (in the city)’ ‘Sacred’ ‘Strata’ ‘Seductive’ ‘Spectacular’ and ‘Studio’. “The ‘sacred’, for instance, has images of religious processions and congregations during festivals,” says Deepthi. For each photograph, she researched on the locations, the context, and wherever possible, tried to trace the photographer who shot the image.
(Krishnakriti 2019 begins on January 3 and has several exhibitions, workshops, and performances at venues across the city. For a detailed schedule, look up festival.krishnakriti.in)
