Now Reading: Seven-time World Press winner Seamus Murphy to exhibit Kolkata noir in Gurugram
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Seven-time World Press winner Seamus Murphy to exhibit Kolkata noir in Gurugram
Seven-time World Press winner Seamus Murphy to exhibit Kolkata noir in Gurugram
Seamus Murphy, a 66-year-old photographer who has won seven World Press Photography awards for work in Gaza, Afghanistan, Lebanon and other conflict zones, will open a new exhibition at Museo Camera in…
Seamus Murphy, a 66-year-old photographer who has won seven World Press Photography awards for work in Gaza, Afghanistan, Lebanon and other conflict zones, will open a new exhibition at Museo Camera in Gurugram on Saturday. The show, titled 'Life Is In Many Days', includes 30 images of Kolkata that Murphy calls 'Kolkata noir', capturing quiet, everyday moments and the city's Art Deco architecture at night.
Murphy, who first visited Kolkata on a family holiday in 2017 and now spends several months there each year, distinguishes this personal work from his photojournalism. He shoots without an editorial mandate, focusing on shadows, gestures and transient scenes rather than news events. The exhibition, curated by Zelda Cheatle, also features 77 other works from Afghanistan, Russia, Ireland and the United States.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Murphy's shift from documenting war zones to a single Indian city illustrates a broader tension in photography: the market demands images that fit a news narrative, but his 'Kolkata noir' project resists that frame entirely. The city has been photographed to cliche, yet Murphy's approach, staying for months, shooting only what catches his eye, mirrors his earlier long-term projects like 'Strange Love' (US and Russia) and his 30-year documentation of one Afghan family. The exhibition runs at Museo Camera, one of India's few museums dedicated to photography, which itself represents a bet that such personal, non-journalistic work has an audience here. Watch for whether the Kolkata images travel to other Indian galleries or get published as a book.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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