Moving Still: Performative Photography in India

Moving Still: Performative Photography in India explores themes of migration, gender, religion and national identity through the lens of modern and contemporary photography in India. While exploring the early beginnings of photography in India with works from Ram Singh II and Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, the primary focus of this publication is the lens-based practices of contemporary artists such as Naveen Kishore, Atul Bhalla, Tejal Shah, Vivan Sundaram, Sunil Gupta, Anita Dube and Pushpamala N. Artists rooted in the diversity of cultures and multiplicity within the country, while at the same time engaged in a global dialogue. The publication includes profiles on each of the participating artists, a timeline on the history of performative photography compiled by Critical Collective, as well as feature essays by Diana Freundl, Associate Curator, Asian Art at the Vancouver Art Gallery, and Gayatri Sinha, art critic and curator, that together expand on the historical importance and relevance of photography as an artistic medium in India as well as the development of performative photography.

Moving Still: Performative Photography in India was published in conjunction with the exhibition organized by the Vancouver Art Gallery, an initiative of the Institute of Asian Art and curated by Diana Freundl, Associate Curator of Asian Art and Gayatri Sinha, Independent Curator and founder of Critical Collective, and presented from April 19 - September 2, 2019.

Essays by Diana Freundl and Gayatri Sinha