World Photography Day: Hyderabad exhibition to highlight works of 44 photographers

Each 12 months through the Bonalu festivities that coincide with the monsoon in Hyderabad, an strange man transforms into Potharaju, a people deity and soothsayer, his face painted in vivid strokes of turmeric and vermillion. Vedika Bonakurthy’s {photograph} captures these Potharajus within the moments earlier than the Bonalu procession, documenting their act of changing into. Titled ‘Body Before The Spirit’, the picture distills the essence of native tradition.

This {photograph}, together with a number of others, types a part of an exhibition curated to mark World Photography Day. Opening on August 19 on the State Art Gallery in Madhapur, the present options landscapes, structure, avenue pictures, and portraits by Hyderabad-based photographers. It is organised by the Hyderabad Centre for Photography in affiliation with the Telangana Government, Telangana Tourism, the State Gallery of Art, and the Indian Photo Festival.

“We didn’t wish to be sure by a theme. The standards was robust photos that mirror the cultural panorama,” says Aquin Mathews, director of the Indian Photo Festival. From greater than 500 submissions, 44 pictures from Hyderabad and Telangana had been chosen.

The choice ranges from portraits to architectural landmarks that act as cultural markers. While the photographers hail from Hyderabad and Telangana, their lenses typically wander farther afield, bringing in visible narratives from their travels.

Among the highlights is ‘Echoes of the Past’ by Deepika Daparthi, a black-and-white picture of the Qutb Shahi tombs framed by lush greenery, with domes and arches that talk to the monument’s historic grandeur. Ramdalai Tilak contributes an aerial shot of younger wrestlers coaching at an akhada in Kolhapur, a nod to the area’s thriving kusti custom. Ravi Kumar Saxena’s work turns to the Rann of Kutch, the place a dealer in handmade clothes stands out towards the stark white sands. Meanwhile, Sudhakarsingh Bondili’s ‘Shades of Bagan’ captures the country allure of Myanmar’s villages set towards the backdrop of historical UNESCO-recognised temples.

The exhibition runs from August 19 to 26 on the State Gallery of Art, Madhapur. Entry is free.