Freezing candid moments from rushing life, shutterbugs of ‘Mushroom’, a circle of photography enthusiasts, have come out with their maiden photography exhibition ‘Memoirs’ at the Rastriya lalit Kala Akademi, Regional Centre, here inaugurated on April 25. The weeklong show will be on till May 1.
If a picture is worth a thousand words then the showcasing 58 photographic skills of 26 photographers under an open theme, ‘Memoirs’, speaks volumes about life.
From wildlife to tranquil natural bliss, children from street to busy lifestyle, from monuments to metallic abstracts; seasoned and amateur shutterbugs of Mushroom have not only explored vibrant aspects of life but have also attempted experimenting new techniques of digital photography which seem commendable.
Reflecting dexterity of some seasoned skills and some novice talents; each exhibit has its own distinct style to convey its vision. Compelling a visitor’s attention, Sandeep Pattnaik’s ‘Nirvana’ capturing a mystic moment of a Sadhu at Joranda has got critical acclaim for its vision whereas Sumon Sinha’s macro exploring insects and wildlife have got rave reviews.
The theme installation at the centre of the entrance hall putting old fashioned cameras adorned in Mushrooms collected in dry and semidry leaves gathered on a dejected vehicle tyre explains the concept of the Memoir in a really artistic manner. Inaugurating the exhibition, veteran artist and art historian Dr Dinanath Pathy stressed on the importance of nurturing an artistic vision for photographers.
“Earlier, with limited technical facilities, one was expected to gather skill in every aspect of photography to excel as a photographer. With the advance of technology, photography has become easier. This makes expectations from photographers even higher. With skill, artists need to develop an artist’s vision,” he observed.
Agreeing with Dr Pathy, ace photographer PC Dhir expected photographers to be more artistic. “The exhibition is admirable on grounds of display, print quality and concept. It could have been more arty. Photographers need to think more of artistic angles,” he opined.
Following the saying ‘Open your window and explore whatever comes to your vision’, some of the Memoirs exhibits stand out for their refined photographic skills where as there is scope for improvement for the budding talents.
“Capturing moments, which otherwise would have been missed in a person’s busy life, the Memoirs brings an opportunity to perceive many aspects and live again through memories. It is a sincere attempt from the Mushrooms to promote photography as an artistic means of expression, bringing it closer to everyone irrespective of their age, skill or occupation,” says Mushroom member Sumon Sinha.
The exhibition is an integral part of the Mushroom’s activities for creating a platform to encourage photography enthusiasts to experiement and explore creativity with click.