Fowsia Fathima, an accomplished cinematographer, is based in Chennai and hails from Hyderabad. But when it came to her first photography exhibition, she chose Kochi as the venue over Chennai and her hometown.
Titled ‘I/Eye see Myself in you’, the exhibition has been on since December 22 at Buddha Gallery, in Fort Kochi’s Phoenix Village and will carry on till December 31.
“I have many friends in Kerala and especially in Kochi and cinematographer Madhu Neelakandan, who inaugurated the exhibition was my classmate in FTI Pune. But the plan for an exhibition was kind of a spontaneous decision taken when I last came to Kerala,” explains Fowsia.
Fowsia has worked as a cinematographer in many films including 'Mitr-My Friend', 'Shadow of the Cobra', 'Ivan', 'Kuch Tho Hai', 'Uyiir', 'Silmabi' and 'Silandhr' and had associated with award winning cinematographer P.C. Sriram in 'Alaipayuthe'. “The scene has changed from the time I started my career in the technical side of the cinema and now. There were very few women in that field but it is completely different now,” says Fowsia.
The exhibition has a set of portraits of women whom she knows. She has not included any candid shots in the exhibition but concentrated on women who work hard.
“I am not using the people in my photographs as objects. The whole approach is philosophical, and pertains to the notion of seeing yourself in another person. This is my personal expression of the idea and I can’t say I am inspired by anyone else in this. This theme was with me since the time I started my career,” says Fowsia. “People always ask me how I managed my achievements but I think I know women who are hard working than me who deserve appreciation like the ones in my photographs, most of whom are migrant workers,” adds Fowsia who is also a licensed pilot and glider among other things.
