Chennai Photo Biennale to feature works by 50 artists from 13 countries

Over 50 artists from 13 countries will are set to showcase their photographic works at the second edition of Chennai Photo Biennale that begins Friday.

The biennale this year is themed around the Chinese myth of 'Fauna of Mirrors', and will be curated by renowned sculptor and photo performance artist, Pushpamala N.

"The philosophy for this edition is 'Fauna of Mirrors', an old Chinese myth that talks about an alternate universe that exists behind the mirror, another dimension which is home to unknown creatures and unknown worlds," organisers said.

The curatorial concept uses the ancient fable to ruminate in a philosophical and poetic way around photography today.

"The Chennai Photo Biennale(CPB) seeks to expand the field of photography with a terrific array of photo-artists who use the language of photography to speak to the world," Pushpamala N, Artistic Director, CPB said.

The Biennale will feature large scale exhibitions across important historical and contemporary public spaces in Chennai.

The month-long festival will also include an extensive programme of artist talks, workshops, films, projections, residencies, and skill development in photography.

One of the highlights will be the International Photography Conference to be held on March 16-17.

Titled, "Light Writing: The Photographic Image Reloaded", the conference will deliberate on the state of photography in the contemporary times.

Participating speakers will include Ashwini Asokan (India), Diwas Raja KC (Nepal), Emeka Okereke (Nigeria), Kristoffer Gansing (Germany), P Sainath (India), Shela Sheikh (UK), T Shanaathanan (Sri Lanka), Y S Alone (India), and Zhuang Wubin (Singapore).

The Biennale will also showcase works by 25 students who were part an advanced residential workshop conducted by the organisers of the event.

"Chennai Photo Biennale aims to establish a much-needed home for photography in India which brings together practitioners, allied arts, curators, gallerists and the general public to elevate the medium in the region," Varun Gupta, Founder, CPB, said.

The CPB is set to continue till March 24.