In Vevey, Olivier Culmann, member of the collective Tendance Floue, is presenting The Others and Diversions, two exhibitions devoted to India and the country’s complex relationship with the image. Photography holds a mirror to this society still based on traditional values and codes, and also serves to sublimate reality to show a heavenly, globalized vision of India.
With The Others, Culmann revisits the tradition of portraiture in India and local photo studios where people still come to have their pictures taken for a few rupees. However, in India, as in many traditional societies, physical appearance and dress codes say a lot about a person. One look at someone and you can tell their religion, their job, and where they come from.
Culmann also offers a gallery of portraits of men on the street of all ages and condition: an affluent young Sikh, an older Muslim man, a South Indian wearing a dhoti, a sadhu, a policeman, a civil servant, and so on.
The artist photographs himself in the photo studios in the suburbs of Delhi, in a way that emphasizes the dominance of codes and outwards signs of the individual’s personality.
In Diversions, the image is not used to show what is, but what could be, a far cry from the reality of the places photographed. The polished images offer an idyllic vision of Shining India turning its back on the India of slums and poverty. We go from a dusty, abandoned construction site in Delhi, to the vast lawns at the foot of brand-new buildings.
Exhibitions Olivier Culmann
Festival Images 2014
Until October 5th, 2014
The Others
Dépendance nord de l’hôtel des Trois Couronnes
rue d’Italie 49
Vevey, Switzerland
Diversion
Festival Images 2014
Until October 5th, 2014
Parc du Panorama
Vevey, Switzerland
