This is not that ! The title of this exhibition is intriguing and poses questions…. Under this title the two curators of the show, Dominique Charlet and Fabien Charuau have chosen to present this exhibition entirely devoted to Indian photography.
India is the second most populated country behind China, with more than 1 billion inhabitants. Thus, it is not surprising to see the Indian art scene massively developing and getting exposed around the world. The news of this spring 2011 is especially fruitful with Anish Kapoor taking over the nave of the Grand Palais until June 23, and the major exhibition Paris-Delhi-Bombay opening in the Centre Pompidou on May 25th.
In 2007, the Rencontres de Arles had Indian photography as the guest of honor in the context of the 60th anniversary of the country’s independence featuring over fifteen of their artists. Today, Paris receives the ‘This is not That’ exhibition proposing a reflection on contemporary Indian photography, escaping from the clichés and the stereotypes of the western view of the Indian culture. A real Indian by adoption, Fabien Charuau, curator of the exhibition and also an exposed photographer, has been living in Bombay for 13 years. He added his vision of India that he outlines with exactitude and insight. Added to this, the outside vision by Dominique Charlet who organizes as if he was a musical conductor the group of images.
The 10 featured photographers suggest through their subjects both an intimate apprehension of the reality and an empathetic approach. They also underline to what extent life in India implies in an intense and natural way those who live there and erases the detachment that the pictures could create. The exhibition shows a photographic approach by which each artist studies reality as fragments of a more complex bigger picture. Far from noticing what is perceived as real, this approach holds more than a worry to deform the appearances, to experiment with what we call reality. It is a vision marked by a certain way of seeing the world that takes for granted the partial perception of reality. This is not That = what is true is hidden by a number of complex illusions. The artists do not attempt to reproduce what the eye sees, they work without established rules, and undertake an essentially subjective and empathic exploration.
On the agenda: • Binu Bashkar : Human Race • Fabien Charuau : The Great Unwashed / Stumble Asleep • Neil Chowdhury: Waking from Dreams of India • Pradeep Dalal : Chowpatty / Measure / Go West • Dhruv Dhawan : Mumbai Sleeping• Soham Gupta: The People Of The Bridge • Brijesh Patel : Salt • Zubin Pastakia: The Cinemas Project • Swapan Parekh: Between Me & I • Mahesh Shantaram: Still Looking
From May 20th through June 19, 2011. La Galerie Duboys 6, rue des Coutures Saint-Gervais, 75003 Paris.
