{"id":34264,"date":"2012-09-08T11:25:02","date_gmt":"2012-09-08T11:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.tehelka.com\/?p=34264"},"modified":"2012-09-08T11:25:02","modified_gmt":"2012-09-08T11:25:02","slug":"the-deceptive-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tehelka.com\/the-deceptive-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"The deceptive lens"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brahm Maira\u2019<\/strong>s first solo show is striking evidence of a sharp, fresh eye, says\u00a0Aradhna Wal<\/strong><\/em>
\n

\"Image<\/a>
Image builder Glowing Eyes Purple Haze by Brahm Maira
Photos: Arun Sehrawat<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nA PANORAMIC\u00a0<\/strong>blue-green background looks like sky and water meeting. A woman kneels in supplication and prayer. The images have been superimposed on top of each other; a vibrant figure standing out against breathtaking colours. This is\u00a0Humility,<\/em>\u00a0one of the images in Brahm Maira\u2019s upcoming show\u00a0Traverse.<\/em>\u00a0All set to open on 8 September at Delhi\u2019s Stainless Gallery, it is the 26-year-old art photographer\u2019s first solo show.
\nTraverse\u00a0<\/em>has been in the making for years. The art consists mainly of personal work Maira has done while juggling commercial fashion\/industrial work, other commissioned shoots, group shows, and studying at the Sydney College of the Arts. \u201cI spent five years in Australia, so I\u2019ve shot the East coast. I travelled the States, so there is work from there. I\u2019d find myself in random industrial towns in India on work,\u201d he says. His images, too, come together post production, where he combines scenes captured from different geographic spaces to create a complete picture; there is an Australian landscape, trees from Kerala backwaters and the Chattarpur Mandir in Delhi. All combine to evoke the serenity and the macrocosmic scope of devotion in\u00a0Humility.<\/em><\/p>\n

Maira\u2019s willingness to experiment keeps his art from becoming just another imitation<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The medium is called photo manipulation. The words themselves could cause people to doubt its merit. Is it meddling with or taking away from pure photography? Maira seems unfazed. The art is popular in galleries in US, Europe and Australia. It is, however, small in India. \u201cI don\u2019t know how people will respond to it. That remains to be seen.
\nPeople are slowly becoming more receptive. So let\u2019s wait till they see the work,\u201d he says.
\n

\"Brahm<\/a>
Brahm Maira<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nMaira\u2019s images are trippy. His influences in colour and style can be seen clearly \u2014 Alex Grey and Ansel Adams, respectively. Grey\u2019s kaleidoscopic canvas has been invoked in the image\u00a0Patience.<\/em>\u00a0The image of Buddha from Ladakh is depicted in a tunnel from a Scottish castle, that has a floor like a seabed, and its walls are rings of green refracted from the literal light at the end of the tunnel. And the landscapes try to be as sweeping as Adam\u2019s famously were. As the photographer admits, landscapes are his favourite subject. However, Maira\u2019s skill with colours and his willingness to experiment keep his art from becoming just another imitation. Though some images have a lot of components to them, they are not cluttered. A case in point isGlowing Eyes Purple Haze.<\/em>\u00a0It could easily be so overwhelming that one cannot take it in as a whole. However, there is a certain cleanness to the lines. The image of the face is sharp, yet if looked at closely, the lines on it form a sort of optical illusion. Playing around with pictures, people and places has taught Maira some tricks of improvisation. For example, in\u00a0Patience,<\/em>\u00a0he uses the spring of a slinky toy on his lens to achieve the tunnel effect.
\nTraverse<\/em>\u00a0is Maira\u2019s solid attempt at making his own statement. He admits it is an experiment in the making and has no one theme. But it brings together five years of travel, work and discovering his skills and preferences with the camera.
\nAradhna Wal is a Sub-Editor with Tehelka.<\/em>
\naradhna@tehelka.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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