Intimate  cultures
Even the simplest of photographs hide as much as they reveal oscillating on the fluid edge of the ‘objective’ surface of reality and the filters evolved by conventions and strata of feelings — its own as well as inherent to the photographer.
For a sensitive artist, it serves as material and means to be formally moulded and interpreted, quite like in any other branch of art. The phenomenon is not only evident in the work of Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, but it becomes her consciously adopted method which reaches for and blends with intensely, if gently, emotive layers.
In fact, although her prints shown at Tasveer (June 2 to 15) belong to two very different cycles — a lyrical one from actual sceneries and a conceptually conceived with political implications, both strands remain complementary there, just manifested in unequal proportions. This echoes in the use of a simple camera and ready images that are handled later with technical sophistication and, more importantly, with sensitivity.
Such permeability of attitudes and means perhaps naturally come to someone who has lived between Britain, India and the US where she teaches art photography now. Whether Annu refers to broader issues or conjures moods, she retains a calm, keen intimacy and a certain distance.
Her Memories of India evoke the atmosphere of early experiences in this country focussing as much on the aura of the place as on the processes around the desire to hold on to and reshape powerful yet fading impressions. Adequately shot in black and white and small in format, these images of nature with human figures in rudimentary gestures, of temple fragments and rustic interiors often seem to be permeating layers of misty areas and objects that almost merge over diffused spatial recesses and soft, rhythmic veils and vectors of illumination and shadow.
With some rawness and with tender, poetic finesse, the artist brings out a sense of serene, constant dynamism that lets all parts of a picture mutually respond and reverberate as a living entirety. This can be seen also in the close-up ‘portraits’ of mundane things, like a cycle seat or a metal vessel, which acquire animated personality in sharp view only to mildly sink and blur into the surroundings.
 The other series — An Indian from India has been partly exhibited here before. Reproducing sepia-tone 19th century ethnographic shots of American Indian types, Annu couples them with mostly her own, digitally manipulated portraits imitating the same with a twist.
Locating both similarities and differences in how indigenous American tribes were intrinsically, how they were perceived through the ‘superior’ western culture and how her country people are viewed in America now, she critiques the clichés as well as empathises with the subjects.
More than a statement on surface-bound exoticism, the works touch the humanity underneath, show defiance, pride and delight in their and her traditions, but also hint at her own freedom and individual choices within the globalised situation. The boldness of the contemporary, conceptually based imagery, its humour, even sarcasm yield tenderness again.

Sensual
The young N S Satish Kumar from Chennai paints evocations of mysterious “twilight” qualities of eroticism and feelings. His fairly large canvases exhibited at the CKP (June 7 to 14) have figures of voluptuous women – imposing, calm, quite static and pensive in a somewhat dark atmosphere.
The human shapes are basically realistic, while the natural and interior backgrounds hold dense plant motifs and intense but unclear light mingled with shadow. They are well brushed and sincere which can be appreciated. However, Satish appears to be excessively influenced by Art Nouveau with its turn of the 19th to 20th century moods around the enigma of sensuality and the abundance of mannerist, sinuous motifs evident in textile patterns, vegetation lines and hair flows. He should pay more attention to the immediate world and its spirit.

Kind gesture
Beyond Sight, the unusual photography exhibition organised by Partho Bhowmick for people with extensive viewing disability and blind (CKP, June 9 to 17) could be treated in terms of a wonderful compensating gesture rather than as an aesthetic event. The images were shot with help and probably composed so. What counts is the approximation at the impact of seeing enabled in the process. The often shifting, angled and blurred pictures convey some of the striving of the authors, thus letting the audience gain some insight into their sensations. The accompanying explanation about the methods to aid the blind visualise their environment and the personal examples of coping with it brought another bridge towards understanding both the plight and the positive efforts.

Modest
The poster designs made for the Alliance Francaise by Charmaine D’Souza displayed at the venue (June 9 to 15) was maybe not very original but playfully cultured and unassumingly solid collection. Announcing diverse programmes from music to film and drama, the compositions to varying degrees combine photographic material with letters, bright, decorative patterns and more or less painterly abstract areas or natural rhythms.
The surface plane oscillates from flatness to a combination with spatial effects and to free, dynamic segmenting of the picture plane. The impact is light, at times humourous but not very inventive or spectacular.
Marta Jakimowicz