In 2006, three friends and entrepreneurs, Abishek Poddar, Naveen Kishore, founder of Seagull Books in Calcutta, and Shalini Gupta, created Tasveer, an organization dedicated to promoting photography in India. Present in Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Bangalore and Ahmadabad, Tasveer is comprised of thirty photographers, and is open to all forms of photography, both in India and abroad.
We spoke with Nathaniel Gaskell, Tasveer’s artistic director.
What’s the story behind Tasveer ?
N. Gaskell : In 2006, India’s art market was thriving. Abishek, Naveen and Shalini noticed, however, that photography was being drastically underrepresented, and so decided to open a gallery dedicated exclusively to the medium. Since the beginning, Tasveer has featured the work of well known photographers, like Raghu Rai, Martine Franck and Marc Riboud, as well as talented young photographers with little visibility in India and abroad.
How would you describe yourself ?
N.G : Tasveer is a platform for photographers working in India, regardless of where they come from. The exhibitions are only the most visible part of our business. The fact that our exhibitions appear in five major cities is fundamental to our mission. India is a subcontinent, and our ambition to promote photography in this country extends beyond Delhi and Mumbai.
In addition to the physical exhibitions and the catalogs we create for each of them, there is tasveeronline, our online gallery, which allows visitors to discover other artists.
And finally, Tasveer serves as a catalyst for all kinds of photography old and new: documentary, conceptual, architectural, and so on.
What’s your business model ?
N.G : We sell the photographs of the artists we represent. The market is mainly in Mumbai and Delhi. Most of our clients are young collectors who choose photography because it’s more affordable than other forms of art, like painting.
Are there any upcoming shows you would like to mention to our readers ?
N.G : An exhibition featuring the work of the Italian artists Maïmouna Guerresi opens in Bangalore on January 5. This is her first work on India. Through metaphorical images, she questions the condition of women, and the relationship between men and women, in India . I highly recommend it.
This interview has been edited and back-translated into English from the French. Nathaniel Gaskell’s responses do not necessarily represent his actual words.
