Anne Garde’s ‘Shiva Blues’ transforms everyday Indians into timeless myths

For centuries, Indian mythology has ignited the imagination of artists, writers and spiritual seekers from every corner of the world. Our gods are not distant abstractions but living presence channeled in everyday life. It is in the wake of this rich mythological culture that French photographer Anne Garde found the inspiration for Shiva Blues, a solo exhibition that transforms everyday people into ethereal beings touched by divinity.

Shiva Blues looks at everyday Indians with divinity

The project began with a piece of equipment rather than a concept: her Hasselblad. “The origin of this project lies in the use of my Hasselblad camera, where the image is reversed in the mirror,” she recalls. That inversion became a metaphor— an invitation to see India from the “other side” of its colours.

The emotional and visual foundation of the work comes from the myth of Shiva Neelkanta—the god who swallows poison to save the world and turns blue. Anne saw in the myth a striking relevance. “The idea is very contemporary: a world in trouble, wars everywhere, conflicts between people and religions. We see that even in Hindu mythology, the world had to be saved by a loyal and valiant spirit, and Shiva accepts to drink the poison with ‘a calm temperament’. These are the teachings of India, and without practicing any religion (I am agnostic), I appreciated the multi-faith nature of India, meaning that Hindus and Muslims get along,” she shares.

Her images are not digitally painted. Instead, Anne experiments with film development so that the tones shift into blues of every shade. “The blues are all different, depending on the skin tones,” she says. “From dark blue and indigo to cyan. This isn’t Photoshop.” When she first saw the results on her light table, she felt that such intensity could only emerge “with the vibrancy of India’s colours, with the almost sacred presence of this vast population.”

Although many Western photographers have travelled to India to document its cultures, and daily life, Anne consciously resisted the documentary gaze, because “it ages with time and immediately becomes part of frozen history,” she says. Instead, she seeks images that are “timeless and enduring,” which she still feels fresh when revisiting them today. Anne also insists that her work is not an attempt to appear spiritual — only that her instinct is not drawn to the material world.

In Shiva Blues, ordinary people become carriers of myth. Not saints, not gods, but humans touched by something larger. And once the work is complete, she releases it into the world: “It no longer belongs to the artist, but to those who look at it... it is a gift.”

Free entry.

On view till February 3, 2026.

At Maison D’Art Banjara, Banjara Hills.

Email: anshula.u@newindianexpress.com

X: @indulgexpress

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