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“The accumulation is simply a retelling of wherever I person been and what I person been done and who I person been with.” That is however Gireesh Gopinathan frames his solo photograph exhibition, Panoramas But Not Quite, which begins connected November 28 astatine College of Fine Arts Thiruvananthapuram.
This seasoned photojournalist from Thiruvananthapuram is simply a trained painter, a lensman and a documentarian — 3 roles that helium tapped into astatine the commencement of this project.
The showcase is simply a postulation of extended compositions, including diptych (with 2 panels) and triptych (with 3 panels) montages captured implicit the past 3 decades, which shaped Gireesh’s individuality arsenic a storyteller and documentarian.
Today’s Headlines by Gireesh Gopinathan | Photo Credit: Gireesh Gopinathan
Each installation brings unneurotic a bid of photographs, capturing the aforesaid subjects from varied perspectives. The images seamlessly blend with 1 another, creating the illusion that the pictures were taken astatine the aforesaid instance. Gireesh changeable the photographs crossed India and Sri Lanka during his days arsenic a photojournalist.
“We walk hours waiting astatine antithetic spots during our assignment. And often, we are incapable to bring unneurotic each elements surrounding a taxable into a single, wide-angled framework — therefore, losing the subject’s essence. As a solution, you sprout more, from antithetic angles, and erstwhile we stitch these images together, it gains a caller meaning,” says Gireesh, who thought of the accumulation successful 2010, compiling images for the task since.
The amusement features 40 works captured connected movie and integer media. The photographic installations are inspired by the techniques of the American ocular media artist, Man Ray.
“Two of the archetypal works successful the collection, Puffs & Politics and Still, Edge of Fear, were taken successful 2005. It is acceptable successful Cuddalore and Nagapattinam successful Tamil Nadu respectively, aft the 2004 Tsunami, which wreaked havoc connected the state’s coastal line,” says Gireesh.
Puffs & Politics by Gireesh Gopinathan | Photo Credit: Gireesh Gopinathan
The lensman says this mean enabled him to attack his regular assignments differently. “Instead of limiting myself to conscionable the aesthetics of the photos, I searched for a crushed to archer that story. Whilst the creator successful maine was keen astir however the lights, colours, shadows and subjects worked, the documentarian successful maine was determined to enactment existent to the world of events without controlling the settings excessively much.”
Gireesh places a peculiar accent connected the mundane done his works, aiming to execute a consciousness of universality — beryllium it the pictures acceptable successful the infuriating Bengaluru postulation oregon the aggregate panels portraying children jumping into an overflowing Narmada stream successful the hopes of uncovering coins from the riverbed. “I americium not talking astir places, I americium talking astir life,” helium says.
Pilgrim and practice question successful Madhya Pradesh by Gireesh Gopinathan | Photo Credit: Gireesh Gopinathan
The amusement besides displays photographs from Thiruvananthapuram wherever Gireesh spent his pupil life. Another installation displays a poignant series showing migrant labourers returning to their villages from Delhi during the pandemic.
“I began processing the images successful 2019 and organised an online amusement successful 2020 with 20 works, which was well-received globally. That was erstwhile I realised the imaginable of this photograph series. In 2023, I began moving connected releasing the Panoramas But Not Quite photomontage book, which was launched by the Kerala Governor Rajendra Arlekar earlier the exhibition.”
Bygone Days by Gireesh Gopinathan | Photo Credit: Gireesh Gopinathan
“The biggest situation was identifying images which had the imaginable to beryllium conjoint successful this manner. Initially, radical couldn’t recognize my idea. Only erstwhile they spot the merchandise are they convinced astir what I person tried to convey with my work.”
About the aboriginal of this project, the lensman says, “These works are astir observing, perpetually searching for thing caller from the aforesaid subjects, whether they tin accidental thing new. With time, I anticipation to research thing with a singular taxable crossed locations.”
Panoramas But Not Quite volition beryllium connected astatine College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram from November 28 to December 5.
