Over the past two decades photography has become an integral part : Kumari Selja

INVC,,

Mumbai,,

Kumari Selja, Minister for Culture and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation here today inaugurated an exhibition of Contemporary Photography from the V&A- “Something That I’ll Never Really See:” in  the presence of  Secretary Culture, Shri Jawhar Sircar and Ms. Kate Bellamy, Head, International Audiences, V&A, London. This exhibition “Something That I’ll Never Really See: Contemporary Photography from the V&A is an exhibition that is part of a travelling tour that was first showcased at the Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Mumbai.

Speaking on the occasion the Minister said, Victoria & Albert Museum has been playing an active role in cementing bilateral cultural relations between India and United Kingdom.  Even before an MoU on cultural exchange was signed between the two countries in July 2010, Victoria & Albert Museum had an agreement with the Ministry of Culture, under which several exhibitions entitled ‘Indian Life and Landscape by Western Artists’ were hosted in different metros of India.

Kumari Selja said, signing of an MoU between India and United Kingdom on Culture in 2010 after 63 years of bilateral relations was a historic occasion.  It marks a new chapter in our cultural relations, which have a legacy of several centuries.  But, we now need to carry forward into the 21^st century, in a vastly changed paradigm.

She said, the exhibition has been drawn from the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum that has been avidly collecting photographic works, and includes some of the most innovative works created during a pivotal period in photographic history.  The selection explores a broad array of styles both by internationally well-known names as well as emerging talents. She said that this is the first time that this eclectic collection of works is being showcased at a series of venues outside of the U.K.

Kumari Selja said, over the past two decades photography has become an integral part of the world of contemporary art. She said, her Ministry is aiming to actualize much such dynamic collaboration, in an endeavour to bring the international world of art and culture to India, and to take the Indian art and culture to audiences worldwide.

The Minister said, Ministry of Culture and the NGMA have been focusing on photography both as an art form and a record of the history of our times.  The NGMA is conscious of the artistic potential of the medium, and has many of the contemporary masters of photography in its collection ranging from Lala Deen Dayal, Raghu Rai, Dayanita Singh etc.

Congratulating the Victoria & Albert Museum for holding this exhibition in India, Kumari Selja expressed the hope that they will now take a lead for hosting reciprocal exhibitions of Indian art and photography in London.  She said, she is specially keen to showcase the splendid collection of Rabindranath Tagore, Raja Deen Dayal, Homai Vairawala, Kuldeep Rai and several others.

Work by internationally-acclaimed photographers such as Nan Goldin, Cindy Sherman and leading fashion photographer Tim Walker are on show as part of this exhibition. The Victoria and Albert Museum has the UK’s national collection of photography, and this exhibition, curated by Martin Barnes, presents 40 works of over 30 artists from pivotal moments in photographic history.