AnuragBhateja.com Blog

World Around Us – A Photography Exhibition

Written by Anurag Bhateja on July 9, 2009 – 11:57 am -

Few of my friends are holding a photography exhibition. I am posting all the details here. If you are in or around the city on the particular dates, do give a visit.

Art for Prabhat and Trinitas Presents

Photographs by

1. Neeraj Mahajan
2. Laurent Goldstein
3. Ajay Rajgarhia
4. Siddharth Puri
5. Shashwat Nagpal
6. Udit Kulshrestha

Towards a fundraiser for rehabilitation of Mentally Challenged Children.

Host: Trinitas (Photosynthesis)
Type: Music/Arts – Exhibit
Network: Global
Start Time: Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 11:00am
End Time: Sunday, July 12, 2009 at 7:00pm
Location: Main Atrium DLF Place
Street: Saket
City/Town: New Delhi, India
View Map
Phone: 9953100012
Email: udit@trinitas.in

About the Photographers:

UDIT KULSHRESTHA (b. 1977, Rajkot)

Born in Rajkot in 1977, Udit Kulshrestha spent his childhood travelling the length and breadth of the country, as an Army officer’s son. As a youth, he ventured into the world of marketing where he studied the domains of the Internet, Media, and Paints & Durables for 7 years. However, with a parental lineage in performing and visual arts, (his grandfather having taught the Great Ghazal Maestro Jagjit Singh & his maternal grandmother being an Oscar winner and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement award recipient for costumes for her work in the acclaimed Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi), it was only a matter of time till he discovered his true calling as a visual artist and a photographer. Thus began a journey of self realisation and vivid creative expression.
Encouragement came in the form of commissioned projects for UNESADE, Spain, on issues of Education, Poverty, Sustainability, Street Children and other ‘Blind Spots’ of the society, during his initial learning period. Having published some of his editorial works across the US (Smithsonian – 2008), RCE Barcelona E&S, Spain (2007-2009), Pearson University, Singapore (2008) and Times of India & Traffic Life Magazine, India (2007 & 2008), his profession keeps him busy creating visual delights for the Advertising, Editorial and Corporate clientele in the domains of people, lifestyle, still life and sports. His work has been recognised by the Smithsonian (USA) in ’08. His advertising work has been awarded the Rising Tide Award, apart from being nominated for prestigious Industry Awards like Cannes Lions Advertising awards, Clio Awards and One Show Awards in 2009.
A self taught inquisitive photographer and a traveller – more a voyager of the visual senses – he explores the media of motion imagery, literature & creative writing, philosophy, design and music to hone his pictorial perspectives. He is currently exploring the vistas of People, Street & Life, Abstracts and Still Life.

Exhibitions:

2008

1. April                 :: Group: ‘Sahmat’, Mandi House, New Delhi
2. July                  :: Group: ‘Darwaaze’, Market Café, New Delhi
3. August             :: Group: ‘Three’ at Market Café, Khan Market, New Delhi
4. October           ::
   1. Group: ‘Spaces’, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi
   2. Group: The Wonderwall Show, Café Turtle, New Delhi.
5. November::
   1. Group: ‘Sidewalks’, Global Arts Village, New Delhi.
   2. Group: DestinAsian: Viewfinder, Viewfinder Gallery, London.

2009

1. February          ;; Group; Globalware, Ontario, Canada.
2. March              :: Group: Visions’, ZazaSpace, New delhi

Udit hails from the land of the Taj Mahal and is based out of Gurgaon.

NEERAJ MAHAJAN (b. 1973, New Delhi)

Observing people has been an integral part of Neeraj Mahajan’s life since childhood. A queer habit at first, its significance came into being once it started expressing in the form of Photography, culminating into art form. He deserted his education in hotel management midway to pursue his passion in photography. He followed his heart with his camera and embarked upon a journey through the places, faces and patterns of India juxtaposed with moments of private insight.
Photography for Neeraj is a very intuitive and spiritual process, through which he discovers the two worlds, one that he sees, and the other that he wants to see.
During his travels since 1997, he discovered a hidden conservationist behind his fascination for preservation of culture, rituals and history and a constant disapproval of rapid globalization of the world. Through his photography, he wishes to continue diverting the attention of the world towards the true spirit of humanity and less visible areas of paradox and enigma.

Awards and Exhibitions:

1. India Habitat center’s fellowship award in photography for year 2006 for a documentary on Gypsies of India.
2. Group exhibition on Hinduism, in Wilfred museum, Israel, in Sep 2008.

GYPSY SOUL: NEERAJ MAHAJAN

“Gypsy Soul” is a series of intimate portraits of vitality, pride and fortitude, which has sustained the Indian nomadic populations through centuries of rough living conditions, poverty and political turmoil.
Having shot with an insider’s vantage, the timeless quality of their world and freedom from the ties of civilization, ruminates distinctly in these pictures.
Gypsies and semi nomadic communities are today, a worried lot. As the urban sprawl of cities increases and village commons along with their cattle grazing land shrink, they find themselves being displaced constantly.
This is their story, a way of life that is being threatened. Of innocence and beauty that needs to be preserved.

LAURENT GOLDSTEIN (b. Paris, France)

Raised in a very artistic environment, his father being a music conductor and his grandmother a sculptor, he started being a child actor and later after his Art studies in France and the USA he trained to be an architect. As life would have it he moved on to become a designer and art manager of several high fashion companies in Paris, London and Milan like Hermes, Gres, Balenciaga, Burberry’s and Cassandre among others, before settling in India in order to launch a household linen label.
Laurent has been the Art director of the French Fashion Federation in Paris as well and as during those days, the fashion industry was exloring manufacturing in Asia, made Laurent take this opportunity to come to India in order to settle a bridge between French and Indian professionals, where he launched an household linen label – ‘Red Halo’.
He sports his camera with him always and the first thing which makes him draw is a color combination. Colors are his guidance force to his path of life. He is also involved deeply in fighting for Human Rights in India as well as France.
He is based out of Paris but lives most of the year in Benares.

BENARES – THE OLDEST LIVING CITY: LAURENT GOLDSTEIN

Along the Ganges relationships with people are different and I carry on this human adventure through photography, which allows me to extend a glance to the world and to show many aspects of the Indian society sometimes deeply devoted to its traditions or on the contrary forward-looking. Benares, the oldest living city in the world, became one of my favorite subjects and after adding a specific treatment my images seem timeless and in a kind of biblical set which can sometimes remind the world of Bosch, where he introduces people who are often soaked in a state of grace.

About Benaras he says: “Those pictures of the oldest living city in the world are maybe an answer to my “Search of Lost Time”. Like the french writer Marcel Proust with his monumental work, “Search of Lost Time”(in French, “À la recherche du temps perdu”, also titled “Remembrance of Things Past” in its initial English translation), the role of memory is central. Memory is the link which leads a picture to another but I should say involuntary memory, as Benaras is acting on me like the ‘episode of the madeleine’ in Proust’s novel. When I walk in the City of Lights, I am ransported back to an earlier time by sensory experiences of memory, triggered by smells, sights, sounds, or touch. I believe this is what happens to most of the visitors who come over here and this is why this place is so special, so unique, this is the reason why whoever we are, whatever our culutre can be, we all find something which might be connected to the begining of History and which is deeply in our soul…”

AJAY RAJGARHIA (b. 1967, New Delhi)

Ajay Rajgarhia (b. 1967) has always looked at life with a different angle.  He listens to music, preferring lyrics to rhythm. And watches movies with a keen curiosity for the story not told….constantly searching for answers in endless books, lectures and spiritual study.  There has to be more to this, is his common refrain.
One, which led him to study in the US, graduating in 1990.
Working in Investment Banking, then, quitting it all to start his own garment factory and working with names like Liz Claiborne, Buffalo, Talbots and Bono.
Big business.  Big brands.  Same question.
There has to be more to this…
A search that finally led him to seek behind the lens of a camera and explore the world with his inner eye.
Travelling with a restless energy on the streets, he is always looking for ‘that perfect moment’. Chasing after light and shadow, figure and form, man and nature… Ajay finds inspiration even in the mundane and forgotten!

His works are a part of many private collections in India and abroad and his showings include:
2006/India Chic Gallery, New Delhi ‘Flying Solo’
2007/ Wonderwall at Alliance Francise, New Delhi ‘Three Tier’
2007/Mystic Strokes, Pune ‘Three Eyes’
2007/Arushi Art Gallery, New Delhi ‘Harvest 2007′
2007/Sanskriti Art Gallery, Kolkata ‘Fine Art Photography’
2007/ Wonderwall at Stainless Gallery, New Delhi ‘The Other Side’
2008/ Prakrit Art Gallery, Chennai ‘Click Shoot’
2008/The Shrine Gallery, Delhi ‘Art Beat’
2008/Arushi Art Gallery, Delhi ‘Harvest 2008′
2008/Wonderwall, Delhi ‘India Art Summit 2008′
2008/PhotoARTAsia Expo 2008, Bangkok
2008/Seven Art Limited at Jam Jar, Dubai ‘Popular Reality’
2009/Apparao Infinity, Chennai ‘Go….take a walk’.
2009/Mahua – The Art Gallery, Bangalore ‘ Behind the Lens’.

Tags: Ajay Rajgarhia, Laurent Goldstein, Neeraj Mahajan, Shashwat Nagpal, Siddharth Puri, Trinitas, Udit Kulshrestha, World Around Us Photography Exhibition
Posted in Upcoming Exhibition Reviews | 7 Comments »

If You Like The Content Subscribe To Feed:

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner