Culture Minister Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al-Khalifa has today opened the "India through the lens" photo expo at the Bahrain National Museum.
The show, scheduled to run until November 1, is part of festivities marking "Year of Art 2014", and "Manama Capital of Asian Tourism 2014".
The opening ceremony was attended by Indian Ambassador to Bahrain Mohan Kumar, diplomats, cultural figures and photography art fans.
The Ministry of Culture is organizing "India through the lens" photography exhibition in collaboration with the TASVEER foundation.
The exhibition portrays India through the contrasting oeuvres of four photographers - Jyotti Bhatt, T.S. Saytan, Maimouna Guerresi and Karen Knorr. The 20th century work of Jyotti Batt and TS Satyan communicates the life of the Indian populous post independence - from street scenes to historic events, from the common man to portraits of prominent figures.
The 21st century work of Karen Knorr and Maimouna Guerresi delves deeper than this documentary representation of the country, by using staged events, manipulations and constructions to explore the religious, cultural and visual heritage of India, showing how this is communicated in the visual arts in the present day.
This exhibition demonstrates the rich history of photography in India and explores the shift in representation from the 20th century to today in how the camera has been used to respond and comment on the country’s unique cultural and aesthetic identity.