Between him and him

A frame stuns in the very beginning with a silent yet striking homage to his mother 8212; two pairs of feet that are a world apart from each other, a synthesis of structure and symmetry against the background of a deathly grey butterfly.

Ace photographer Swapan Parekh gets personal in his first solo show

A frame stuns in the very beginning with a silent yet striking homage to his mother 8212; two pairs of feet that are a world apart from each other, a synthesis of structure and symmetry against the background of a deathly grey butterfly. Commercial photographer and World Press Photo jury member Swapan Parekh8217;s exhibition 8220;Between Me and I8221; at Photo Ink gallery is a much-awaited solo show from the reputed artist after almost 25 years of journeys with the camera.

8220;Colour is very tough as a narrative,8221; exclaimed a cheerful Parekh who has put up this exhibition after two years of work. Having studied at the International Center for Photography in New York, Parekh won the first prize at the World Press Photo in 1994 for a spot news photograph. Back in India, he moved into advertising and commercial photography and established a very successful career.

8220;Between Me and I8221; is his most personal and in-depth work into the theatre of his mind. 8220;I would call it collective wisdom and nothing has been more pleasurable than doing this,8221; he says. As one closely studies the photographs, it is not just the content but the peace and clarity in composition that amazes. Each photograph is as detailed in depth as it is casual in character. For instance, even though the exhibition is not obviously a series, on closer inspection, there is coherence in recurring themes such as alphabets, animal forms, symbolic elements and colour. Images kept getting added to the exhibition even two weeks ago as Parekh kept shooting what his mind allowed.

8220;8216;Between Me and I8217; is exactly what it sounds like. It is that tangential space, that parallel aesthetic that I realised while on a commercial shoot, in the middle of a holiday or simply at a gathering of friends at home,8221; explains Parekh.

Parekh8217;s images fuse several contemporary issues in his frames. For instance, India8217;s nuclear policy flashing in the news is juxtaposed with a pigeon in one photograph. Another frame shows a statue of Dr Ambedkar in a monsoon-drenched town of South India.

The display in the gallery was chosen carefully. Spaces were painted white to fuse into the simple, white frames and the size of the prints was deliberately kept medium. 8220;The whole experience was liberating and brought me immense peace. I deliberately kept the images a little short of being obvious and smart using only conventional dark room techniques of correction,8221; said Parekh.

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A record turnout from the photographic fraternity included Raghu Rai and close friend Mahendra Sinh. Their presence was testimony to the fact that Parekh8217;s work has become a landmark in contemporary colour work in India.

The exhibition travels to the prestigious Foam Foto Museum in Amsterdam in a slightly larger format and also to Chatterjee and Lal in Mumbai next month. To sum up the experience, Parekh says, 8220;This photographic process is still happening as a life-time project and the control is in my hands finally.8221; Perfectly concluded for something only between him and him.

The show is on till November 20.

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