Founder of Delhi Photography Club Virendra Shekhawat gave Kritika Dua a peek into the Peruvian life and the rich photographic traditions at Memories of Peru(1890-1950)
Think Peru and the first images that come to mind are of Machu Picchu and the llama. However, an ongoing photo exhibition explores myriad facets of life — architectural marvels like Sacsayhuaman citadel on the northern outskirts of the city of Cusco and Pizarro Monument, a group of people lounging on a potato harvest with men in long boots and hats and women in tunics and long skirts, a bridal portrait, lovers, an intriguing shot of a middle-aged woman holding a giant glass of corn beer, portrait of a family with innocent chubby kids drawing all the attention, a mother posing with her infant, two miners who are indulging in a smoke and drink, railway workers, farmers, women ginning wool and school children. Apart from these the spectators also learnt about the religious traditions, festivals, huaylas dance, modes of transportation, water bodies of the country.
The photo show titled Memory of Peru (1890-1950) exhibits 60 black-and-white photos by Peruvian photographers, which display works from the late 19th century and early 20th-century encompassing stills of the Peruvian society and people, including landscapes, national traditions and the people's daily life. The show was presented by Embassy of Peru in collaboration with Delhi Photography Club.
The vision of Javier Manual Paulinich Velarde, the Ambassador of Peru, was to promote Peruvian culture in India. “The images that make up the Memories of Peru compilation are a byproduct of the talented group of prominent photographers who from 1890-1950 portrayed different aspects of the Peruvian society at that time through photographs, which has helped us to understand and interpret the country.”
Some of the striking photographs in the limelight included the centerpiece by Carlos Y Miguel Vargas, a monochromatic shot of the first communion at Arequipa Cathedral, which dates back to 1915. It presents a huge group of young girls dressed in white frocks and veils, receiving their first communion and around them are women in black on the boundaries. The picture travels from white to black colour tone and it must have been a task in itself to gather numerous girls and women and make them pose. Another memorable work was a picture by Manuel Jesus Glave Columns of the Holy Cross Church in Juli Puno. He captured the splendid painting with intricate frames hung on cracked walls which gave aesthetic value to it and the impressive work on the columns gave us a glimpse of the grandeur of Peruvian architecture.
Virendra Shekhawat, founder, Delhi Photography Club, said, “These pictures were clicked by vintage cameras including Daguerreo type through a tedious process and certain old techniques were used. Even after a decade, these pictures are still relevant. In photography, we have seen a lot of developments but I feel we are still restricted in terms of technology. When one sees these photographs, they all have clarity of thought-process. The audience can understand the photographer's vision with close observation and learn about the local people. There is also a relatability factor as these are common people.”
He added, “The Ambassador of Peru is really forward-looking and it was his vision to present these works which have been zeroed out from the book, Portraits of Peru.” And these pictures can also be found in archives of National library.
It is Shekhawat's second collaboration with the Embassy as earlier he had worked with them on Portraits of lima which focussed on portraits clicked by a migrant photographer from France “from mid to the late 18th century.”
The ongoing exhibition has some shots of the magnificent architecture of Peru, case in point being Martin Chambi's wide angle shot of the ritual stone, Intihuatana in focus. This is near Macchu Picchu. It was clicked in 1950. Shekhawat said that in mid-1950 abstract art was thriving.
Explaining the curatorial process, he said, “The pictures were shortlisted on the basis of the unique element, the rarity of the instance and good composition keeping the genre in mind.” A portion of Sebastian Rodriguez's work portrays the coal mine workers at a site was destroyed during the storage process.
Several significant historical events took place from 1890 to 1950 like American explorer Hiram Bingham rediscovered Machu Picchu in 1911, Jose Mariategui founded the Peruvian Communist Party in 1928 and a coup put General Manuel Odria and the military into power in 1948. However, all these aspects have not been explored in the exhibition as it pays homage to the Peruvian photographers including Max T Vargas, Martin Chambi, Juan Manuel Figueroa Aznar, Baldomero Alejos or Walter O Runcie, who rightfully captured the essence of that time through their lens be it the distinct geography, the working of their society and nuances of Peru's culture. “Many of the pictures shed light on the progressive society through the guise of urban population which is meaningfully employed and not much of rural life is explored in these. The pictures also talk about the lavish lifestyle which can be seen in their dressing styles (men in well-tailored suits and women in gowns), houses with spacious courtyards and elite modes of transportation like vintage cars, horses, trains, and aircraft.” Even coal mine labourers are seen wearing masks which shows that the working class is well-equipped with necessary pieces of equipment and accessories. He also drew a parallel between Peru and ladakh due to the similar climatic conditions and landscapes they have.
The audience can catch the Peruvian life in a nutshell till March 31 at an art gallery in the Embassy premises.