Wide Angle

When photographer Madhavi Swarup travelled to Greece,unlike the usual traveller she gave a miss to its narrow alleys and whitewashed houses and focused her lens on an unfinished wall instead. Likewise in Rajasthan,it was a fort wall and not the sand dunes which captured her attention,and in Egypt,a minaret miles away from the pyramids. “The aim is not to document a place but to interpret various aspects of the surrounding,” says the Delhi-based photographer,a week before her exhibition begins at Visual Arts Gallery. Titled Duality,it chronicles Swarup’s travels over the last two years. She wanders with her lens across the globe — from London to Greece,from Egypt to India. Apart from Rajasthan and Agra,the India segment also features an occasional image of architecture in Delhi,which was the theme of her debut exhibition in 2003. Those familiar with her work will recognise the rawness of the frames though. Bereft of colours,Swarup,46,prefers to keep them black and white. “Monochromes allow detailing. Colour often distracts the viewer,” she says. As the title indicates,this collection is for those wanting to look “at the other side” of cities,so the location is mostly not in primary focus.

The exhibition will take place at Visual Arts Gallery,India Habitat Center,from September 4 to 13.
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