Project Description

Early Works

1980-2000

A majority of my photographs from the seventies and early 80s were from my native land of Kerala. Creating visuals of the familiar people and surroundings always fascinated me. I started photographing my friends and creative people from the neighborhood, my town, and its architecture. Landmarks of my Memories, Early Photographs, etc., offer a glimpse into the landscape of Mattanchery before it became an international art and cultural hub. Between 1980 and 1990, I started traveling to different parts of India. Frontier People, Portraits, etc., were a few series from my travel days. I worked for a brief period as a photo-journalist in Delhi, after which I traveled for higher studies to Europe. In 1996, I returned to India and started practicing as a full time, independent photo artist. My continuing interest in totemic animals, mundane everyday imageries, and local micro-history can be seen in the images created during these years. I also accelerated my efforts in experimental and art photography. Painted photographs, Goddesses, Divine Facade, Trap are a few series from this period of experiments and explorations. Eroticism, abstractions, and unconventional means such as scanning and working with found images were becoming my favorite style. I started with traditional photographic techniques and starting mid-90s, I have been using various techniques, including serigraphy, hand stitching, hand painting, hybrid traditional and mixed media digital works, etc.