Unremembered – a bone chilling show that has taken India by storm is internationally renowned photographer Kounteya Sinha’s protest against invisibility as part of the Kolkata International Photography Festival (KIPF). Imagine a burnt down cinema hall. You walk in through walls peeling off like a snake shedding its skin. You enter this gigantic space hoping to see photographs. But what you find are real people, in flesh and blood looking at you through large wooden frames. Unremebered is India’s first ever show of human photographs – where pictures talk to people. The spectacular scenography, the visual interpretation and installations of the show has being done by one of Bengal’s greatest artists – Susanta Paul. Sinha, who is actually the festival director of the KIPF says “Identity or the lack of it has always bothered me. We photographers document the world with pure honesty, telling stories that are trying so hard to hide. But how many people actually care about the subjects they photograph? How many even want to find out their names, who they are, where do they come from, what is their favourite memory, why are their lives invisible, what is his or her worst nightmare, do they have people to love or are they just things no one notices?”. The national award winning designer Paul said “Kounteya’s incredibly powerful idea coupled with his insanely haunting photographs impressed me beyond measure. In the duration of our lifespan, all of us ignore or are unable to see things around us – we fail to notice. Then one day our life comes to an end and we leave. Unremembered tells people to notice”. The show has brought Kolkata to a standstill – hundreds of people dropping in to see the magnum opus.
Narrative – Kounteya Sinha
Installations – Susanta Pal
Venue: Gem Cinema, Kolkata – A cinema theatre burnt down by fire
Photo credits: Partha Dam
