JOIN USGerman photographer Marlene Apmann says that her camera hasn’t had any respite ever since she came to India three years ago. The images around her excite her and Marlene says that she has come up with many themes to work on during her stay here.
Her latest work along with Anja Bohnhof, ‘Love Comes Later’, is about the pomp and grandeur of Indian weddings. The work is being exhibited at The Art Corridor at The Taj West End till March 17. Marlene not only tries to tell stories through her pictures but also speaks to people and weaves together her findings in an interesting format. In an interview with Nina C George, she talks about the making of her latest series.
What is ‘Love Comes Later’ about?
‘Love Comes Later’ has been knit around Indian weddings and the choice of wedding locations in Bengaluru. Coming from Germany, it was unbelievable for me to see what all Indians do at their weddings. Though I enjoyed seeing so many different sights, I also found it very strange. I was curious to find out why people spend so much money on weddings. Even those who are not so rich would spend a lot of money on hosting a lavish wedding.
Where did you take the pictures?
Most of the pictures are from different wedding venues in Palace Grounds. I also did some research to understand more about Indian weddings.
What was it about Indian brides that fascinated you?
We have taken portraits of richly decked up women in their wedding saris. These pictures have been taken months and years after their wedding ceremonies. Some have been married for six year, others for 35 years. So what we got were diverse views. It was an interesting journey to bring together married women from different religions and castes under one roof.
Were the brides open to being featured?
Most of the women shared experiences about their weddings, which also involved issues related to dowry. I discovered that most of the weddings in India are arranged, unlike how it is in Germany.
What kind of images have you captured in your latest work?
Different wedding locations offer different experiences. We noticed that large halls or tents were transformed by designers into extravagant stage architecture. We saw replicas of famous Indian cultural monuments like the Taj Mahal among the decorations.
Tell us about your next project.
In my next work, titled ‘Indian Princesses’, I’ve interacted with girls of different age groups from Bengaluru, Kerala and Mumbai. I met girls of different age groups and asked them what their biggest wish was and tagged that along with their images.