A row of black-and-white pictures, running from one corner to the other, some familiar and others new to the eyes, formed the nucleus of On Earth and Air, a photography exhibition by Amartya De at Academy of Fine Arts from June 13 to 19. De, an alumnus of Yale School of Art, New Haven, has held a few solo exhibitions along with group exhibitions. He made these photographs with a wooden 8x10 field camera and printed them as silver gelatin contact prints from 8X10 inch negatives, and the display comprised photographs taken from 2021 to 2022 as he made a journey to different parts of the US and Calcutta.
So while the first one, titled Water, Jorabagan Kolkata 2022 gave a glimpse of the city’s architecture, the other one captured the Tea Shop Ranch, North Dacoka, 2021. Among the 46 other photographs on display, the visual artist showcased his skills with captures like Sun View Point, Olympia, Taxi Driver in New Market, Log Crossing, Hoh Rainforest, Pittsburgh Viewpoint, East Kolkata Dhapa, East Kolkata Trails, Sunnys Street at Dusk, Cleveland, among many others.
Talking about the exhibition, he said, “This is my first solo in India but I have had other exhibitions in Connecticut, both outside the college and in the university environment. This was a version of my thesis for my graduation but it has never been shown in this fashion. Primarily this was an exploration of photographs and of Calcutta and the US and finding similarities as well.”