Past Events:
The Land and Lens Photography Exhibition in Mysuru at the Bahuroopi Theater Festival—January 12-18, 2019
The Land and Lens Exhibition in Mysuru
The women and youth student-artists of Land and Lens were honoured to present their photography—at Rangayana’s 2019 Bahuroopi National Theatre Festival.
Gender Equality was this year’s theme at Bahuroopi. Many of the Land and Lens photos at the exhibition revealed expressive illustrations of this theme. Other photos displayed related themes—filling out a first person narrative as part of the photographer’s day-to-day rural and village lives.
Visit the Mysore Exhibition Photo Gallery.
“Found courage gradually. It is exciting to capture nature and our surroundings.’
~ Nagendra
The Land and Lens Photography Exhibition in Bengaluru at the Venkatappa Art Gallery—April 7-13, 2018
The Land and Lens Exhibition in Bengaluru
A vibrant collection of photos documented a buoyantly-bold process where a group of participants, none of whom had been previously trained in the use of a camera, were encouraged to fearlessly reveal their land, lives, and inherent creativity.
Through this exhibition, we aimed to provide our photographers a uniquely creative space. One where previously unexpressed talents and expressions could open viewer’s eyes to places and lifescapes never explored.
More than simply a collection of photos, this exhibition featured elements of traditional village art alongside contemporary media—weaving together a vivid narrative of a collective rural experience in the Chamarajanagar and Sirsi areas.
At the Exhibition:
- 64 framed images by 19 photographers.
- Land and Lens student photographers in attendance—and several acting as official photographers of their event.
- Seed rangolis and mandalas by Sirsi seed artists.
- Displays revealing a narrative depth of the student’s experiences.
- Videos and scrolls—placing a focus on selected themes that the photographers explored.
The Land and Lens photography exhibition was presented by the partnering organisations of Vanastree and Punarchith, and curated by Suresh Kumar.
Click these links for more information about Vanastree and Punarchith’s participation in the Land and Lens project.
Visit the Bengaluru Exhibition Photo Gallery.
Read a review of the exhibition in The Hindu.
“I had the experience of being photographed, but taking the photos myself was incredible. Fear and shyness have disappeared.’
~ Mahalakshmi M.
Video/Photo Show at Punarchith—Saturday, July 29th 2017
Almost 500 kilometres away from Sirsi, our other home base for Land and Lens, we presented a video/slideshow featuring 15 of our youth artists based at Punarchith in Nagavalli. The evening event included singing, introductions, a video featuring the student’s photography, in-depth presentations by five students, and closing comments by a professional photographer from Mysore. In attendance were members of the community, and friends and family of the photographers. It meant a lot to all of us—presenting the student’s work right where they live; work that depicts their daily lives in this rural and drought-stricken region.
Video/Photo Show at Malnad Mela Sirsi—Wednesday, June 21st 2017
For many years now and with a rich local flavour, the Malnad Mela in Sirsi has given an opportunity for the women farmers/seed savers of Vanastree to connect with their home community, while selling their goods in a vibrant market-like setting.
The 2017 Malnad Mela also featured a video presentation of six Land and Lens photographers, with two of Vanastree’s Land and Lens students chosen to be official photographers for this event. The local print media covered Land and Lens very generously—featuring write-ups and pictures of our artists. Many family members and friends attended, showing their support for the photographers. Thank you Sirsi!