People, Communities, Landscape might be part of his repertoire but at the heart of it, the entire image is what resonates and draws him in. One of the most versatile Indian photographers, Bharat Sikka’s artistry is intellectual, deep and captivating. Each image makes you think, feel, and builds a mystery, and that’s the beauty of his craft. His style has undoubtedly influenced many photographers and his subjects have always had a story. 2017 will see him exhibit two completely differing bodies of work.
Kochi will see Where the Flowers still Grow—a poignant expression of the beautiful valley of Kashmir, which will later be exhibited at Nature Morte along with a book on the series—his very first book. And Focus Festival on the other hand will see The Marlborough Theatre that explores gender sexuality and freedom photographed in Brighton, once again a first for Bharat as through the series he explores another country and its community. The year will also see him curate for a fine art fashion photography show exhibited at Chatterjee & Lal. In a one-on-one I connected with him to learn more about his art, his process and his subjects.
The Kashmir Series—Where the Flowers Still Grow has been an on-going exercise what inspired you to photograph the valley and the people?
When I first visited Kashmir I was on a holiday with my family. Ameet, my wife was reading a book called The Collaborator by Mirza Waheed. She narrated the story to me and I was very taken in by it and then I saw this kid who reminded me of the protagonist she told me about in the story so I started photographing him and then I started photographing a lot of people. What drew me in was that Kashmir has been under extreme conflict for so many years so I wanted to explore the region, its people, and their thoughts and so on. At times I was very intimidated as well. So I did many trips over two years. First I photographed the men, and then as I got more comfortable I made the men more ambiguous. Then I began photographing landscape and still life. Each element gives you clues to the atmosphere felt in the valley. The series is going to be presented in a book as well which will be my first book.
Can you share the curator, Peter Negy’s note on the series that is on exhibit at the Kochi Biennale?
This story is from the January - February 2017 edition of Platform.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January - February 2017 edition of Platform.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Beyond The Gully: The Changing Shape Of Indian Hip-Hop
The rap revolution led by Divine and Naezy has disrupted the music industry in unprecedented ways. Let’s take a trip.
Everything Is Big In Uzbekistan
The man most of the world knows as Tamerlane and generally reviles, as a ruthless invader, is revered in his native Uzbekistan as Amir Timur.
TASLIMA NASREEN
A PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST AS A WOMAN
SWIZERLAND
AJITPAL SINGH
RAQS MEDIA COLLECTIVE
The artistic triumvirate of RAQS Media Collective – Monica Narula, Jeebesh Bagchi and Shuddhabrata Sengupta – has been in the field of art since 1992.
SHAMELESS
The Sequel to the bestselling LAJJA
THE BEAUTY OF YOUR FACE
SAHAR MUSTAFAH
MIRA NAIR
A SUITABLE BOY
MARTIN PARR
IN CONVERSATION WITH ARTIST AND CURATOR RAVI AGARWAL
AMIR KELLY
I try to display what it’s like to be a first-generation Indian immigrant in the UK. I don’t try to use my Indianess as a calling card, rather music.
