"To create greater convergence, we need more integration" - Emmanuel Macron
Convergence, a photography exhibition, beautifully captures the essence of India through French lense.
The event commenced with India's acclaimed industrialist Nadir Godrej's incredible recital of a poem by the name none other than Convergence which incited an invigorating round of applause.
Subsequently, Consul General Jean-Marc Sere-Charlet's speech became a noteworthy piece of information. The audience is reminded of various milestones at the juncture of art, photography, and France. For instance, the French invented photography at a place not far from Burgundy. An invention that kickstarted a revolution in art.
Convergence according to the Consul General, attempts to revel in joy of art through a visual feeling and by having people of two countries come together.
Then the showstopper curator Mr Rahab Allana took over. He started his speech by expressing gratitude to the IF India, Alliance Francaise and CSMVS museum where the exhibition was parked. His speech compels the audience to take a look at history and find connections that are alive and living. He further defines images as a becoming something that lies in future. An imagination of how world would change. Convergence in his eyes is a transitional movement, a revision in past of what lay ahead in future and an invoking of the idea that we are one.
After the speeches, we were guided to a personalized walkthrough where Allana elaborated on the discourse of photography.
We were pointed to Sawai Ram Singh, the first king of India who was trained in the art and skill of photography. Many of his pictures are self-portraits. However, he also captured larger-than-life majestic images of courtesans. It is worth noting that the subjects of his photographs had agency and freedom to design how they were being captured.
Then we were guided to various photos of the Begums of Bhopal and Umraojaans of Lucknow. Here Mr Allana points out the element of anonymity, an alternative, unknown history. The paradox involved in one of the most famous photographs clicked by unnamed people.
Photos clicked by women and a collection of images of women protesters of British India added a feminist edge to the evening.
Pictures by legendary French photographer Marc Riboud capture how family collections become part of larger social milieu.
The journey of Marc shows off photographs as materials of repertoire or elements worthy of being collected and treasured as a family heirloom. We are then pointed out to the amalgam of photography and print media and magic of photographs at the intersection of public spaces or how photography contributes to the narrative of urbanism.
Towards the end, we are procured with still images of the Vietnam war while understanding the critical dominance of photos as footprints of history, as an evidence of time!
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