Photographs that reveal more than what the eye perceives
The exhibition was on at the State Art Gallery in Madhapur till February 11. (Photo by arrangement)
Shadows stretch and dissolve under careful illumination in Krishna Kalagara’s photographs, which form part of the group display, ‘Galleria 2025’ a rumination on light. One of his first works, ‘Huddle of Masked,’ seized a moment from a costumed dance tradition of the Sundarbans. “The masks are factory-made, identical in design, yet light sculpts each one differently,” he told us. “It’s like human emotion — what we choose to show and what we conceal.”
MAN OF MULTIPLE DISCIPLINES
An entrepreneur and painter too, Kalagara carries his artistic intuition into his images. Colour, form and composition are important to him.
His next image, a portrait of a child in Ladakh with innocent, unguarded, eyes, is made more powerful by the half-hidden image of the child’s mother whose gaze is an invisible shield of protection. “She didn’t want to be photographed, yet she was never absent,” Kalagara explained. “It was a delicate moment, one you can’t stage. The frame tells of both freedom and restraint, of a child’s curiosity and a mother’s silent watchfulness.”
CRYSTAL CLEAR
Across the room is an image of the Dawki River in Meghalaya, another canvas of light, with water serving as a mirror to the riverbed. The refraction of the sky mingled with the submerged landscape. “You see more the longer you look,” Kalagara noted. “There’s a moment when you can’t tell if you’re gazing down into the depths or up into the skies.”
PATTERNS ARE BEAUTIFUL
His fourth piece, ‘Passage of Geometry’ diverged sharply from the organic flow of nature and plunged into the calculated precision of urban architecture. Shot in Valencia, Spain, mere weeks before the city was swept by floods, its vortex of lines created by supporting beams, traffic and human figures, drawing the eye inward. “Geometry is a rhythm. It’s the invisible pull that makes you step forward without realising why,” the photographer shared.
THROUGH THE LENS
Kalagara began his tryst with the lens with an Agfa film camera, and evolved as a photographer through years of experimentation and travel. “A lens is just a tool,” he remarked. “It’s how you use it that makes the difference.” His influences range from the vast landscapes of Ansel Adams to the ephemeral, intimate portraits of travel photography. And yet, he does not seek to mimic. “Rules exist in photography, but sometimes they restrict you. My background in painting pushes me beyond them. It’s about enjoying the process,” Kalagara added.
The exhibition was on at the State Art Gallery in Madhapur till February 11.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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