The rural woman trying on a decorated pumpkin mask, the railway hawker moving as fast as the train pulling away from the platform or a shot of a forlorn stray canine trudging along a rain-swept street — a solo photography show at Aurodhan Art Gallery assigns permanence to fleeting moments from life.
G. Kamalraji, a city-born petrochemical engineer working in Kuwait, has hosted the solo show during a visit to his home town for a vacation. “I took to photography as a hobby...now it a passion,” he says. Now, his lens-view on life enables him to capture for posterity moments, ranging from the mundane to the unexpected.
The 26 black-and-white slides on display reflect a spectrum of moods and moments in the subjects. The photographs were taken during travels across India over the last four years or so, he said.
Among the eye-catching frames are the one titled “In Search” showing the close-up profile shot of a wizened man in a moment of contemplation, the devotee resting on the base of a carved temple pillar (The Place of Peace) and the ‘Vibration Cells’ of the Matrimandir in Auroville. There is also a riveting silhouette of a mother and children at the beach.
Mr. Kamalraji had earlier exhibited his works at a group show at the Lalit Kala Akademi in Chennai.
According to Lalit Verma, founder of Aurodhan, the show was part of an ongoing art series focusing on promoting the works (primarily paintings) of local artists.
“Alongside featuring prominent names, we also want to give upcoming artists a platform to showcase their works to the world,” he said.
Aurodhan, which will be completing 25 art shows this month as part of the ‘Oneness Through Art’ series, also plans to take exhibitions on the theme to regional, national and international audiences. Among those who have been featured are artists Kashmira, Sridalaadevi, Ritarpan Bhattacharya, Priti Ghosh, Mouhamed Moustafa and Prabhat Kumar Rautray.