Social realities within the photo frame

The Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB4) 2024, which kicked off in December 2024 and will be on till March 2025, has captivated the city of Chennai and transformed it into a canvas for visual storytelling. With over 20 exhibitions and programmes under the theme of ‘Why Photograph?’, the Biennale is exploring new narratives, challenging conventions, and offering an in-depth look at the diverse social and cultural realities shaping our times.

Among the notable artists at CPB is Shankar Raja Narayanan, who presents his evocative work, ‘Chemical Imbalance’, as part of the ‘Vaanyerum Vizhuthugal’ group show, curated by Jaisingh Nageswaran. Shankar’s work is a personal exploration of his lived experience with schizophrenia, conveyed through vivid colours, forms, and shapes.

As a self-taught visual artist, Shankar’s journey into photography began in the commercial sphere, assisting product and fashion photographers in Chennai. However, his current body of work is shaped by his experience with mental health. “I have been working on this body of work for the past four years from my home. I have lived with schizophrenia since my youth, and this work explores my experiences with the condition, my fears, and the emotional reflections I have through colours, forms, and shapes,” Shankar shares.

Using materials such as cut-coloured paper, photographs, and handmade clay faces, Shankar visually expresses the characters he sees during his episodes of schizophrenia. These pieces are not just reflections of his mental state but are also an attempt to communicate the invisible and often misunderstood world he inhabits.

For Shankar, ‘Chemical Imbalance’ is more than an artistic endeavour—it’s a personal journey of sharing his internal reality. “I would love to travel, shoot portraits, and explore landscapes, but I am unable to do so alone. Sometimes, I travel with friends. Most of the time, I spend my time at home, which I’ve turned into a studio to create this work,” he says.

Being part of CPB4 holds special significance for Shankar as this is his first exhibition in his own city. “Through this exhibition, I am eager to see how the audience will relate to my work based on their own experiences. It motivates me to continue developing this body of work,” he notes.

New wave

The CPB has long been a platform for global talent, but in 2024, there is a marked focus on regional narratives. Varun Gupta, the Biennale Director, explains the need to showcase art that is rooted in the local context. “One thing that we’ve never been able to successfully do is focus on a show that is born from this region. Something that’s a native sort of show that addresses the issues, the language and the politics of this region,” he says.

This year’s Tamil New Wave exhibition, curated by Jaisingh Nageswaran, highlights emerging Tamil photographers and visual artists who are reshaping photography in the region and exploring themes that are often left unspoken in society. A central theme in the exhibition is the exploration of mental health, a topic that has long been taboo in Indian society. Gupta highlights this shift, stating, “Mental well-being has always been something overlooked and neglected. But happily, our society has progressed to the point where we acknowledge that everybody’s needs, whether it’s mental or physical, is important.” This exhibition aims to provide a platform for artists to engage with sensitive issues and encourage open discussions in a society that is only now beginning to accept mental health as a critical aspect of well-being.

Stressing the fact that photography’s role in shaping contemporary art cannot be overstated, Gupta says, “Photography is uniquely placed when it comes to shaping contemporary art discourse because it’s one of the most accessible forms of art where anybody feels they can participate.”

Unlike other art forms which may require specific skills, photography allows everyone to engage through their own lens—literally and figuratively, he points out.