RETURNING THE GAZE: FROM THE COLONIAL TO THE CONTEMPORARY
INDU ANTONY, ANOLI PERERA, GAURI GILL, ANNU PALAKUNNATHU MATTHEW, MICHAEL BÜHLER-ROSE, PUSHPAMALA N.&CLARE ARNI
CURATED BY NATHANIEL GASKELL
In the early history of photography in South Asia it was often the case that the subjects of photographs had their identities thrust upon them rather than being complicit in the act of taking of the photograph and those who were holding the camera were guided by either purposefully political agendas or subconscious bias.
This exhibition examines the work of seven contemporary photographers from the collection of the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), in Bangalore – Indu Antony, Anoli Perera, Gauri Gill, Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, Michael Bühler-Rose, Pushpamala N. & Clare Arni – whose work overcomes or directly responds to some of the issues and legacies of colonial and foreign representation, and instead carves a new and more diverse path for photography in the region, and one in which women became more visible on both sides of the camera. The contemporary work on display is shown alongside a range of early colonial photography on the subcontinent, from which much of it departs, forming a dialogue between the past and present, and revealing some of the influences of 21st century practice.
In partnership with the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore.
Pushpamala N. & Clare Arni. The Native Types / Lakshmi ( after oleograph by Raja Ravi Varma) from the project Native Women of India - Manners & Customs, 2004 performance photograph. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Banga
Anoli Perera. I Let My Hair Loose: Protest Series IV, 2010-2011, Inkjet print. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore.
Gauri Gill. Rampyari, 2003, from the series Balika Mela, 2003-2010. Archival Pigment print. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP), Bangalore.
Annu Palakunnathu Matthew. Feather Indian/Dot Indian, from the series An Indian From India, 2008-2009, leather-bound album with digital prints backed by archival gold paper. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore.
Michael Bühler-Rose. Chandra and Kalyani, Gainesville, FL, 2007, from the series Constructing the Exotic, 2006-2010, C-type print. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore.
Pushpamala N. & Clare Arni. Toda-26, from The Ethnographic Series, 2004, Sepia-toned silver gelatin print. Courtesy of the artist and the Museum of Art and Photography (MAP), Bangalore.