Even ON A wall of fame adorned with India’s photographic legacy, the extraordinary work of TS Satyan stands out with a timeless allure. The recipient of the prestigious Padmashri, his photos scream an array of emotions, relatable stories and difficult moments that paint a vivid tapestry of the nation’s history. As we celebrate his birth centenary, the With Great Ease: The Photography of TS Satyan exhibition at the Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) gives you a glimpse into his lens transcending the boundaries of conventional photojournalism.
Born in Mysore, Satyan’s journey began with a single click in high school, which ignited his passion for documenting Indian history for over six decades. His lens witnessed pivotal moments, including his involvement in the World Health Organization’s smallpox eradication campaign and the drive for medical interventions to combat blindness between 1961 and 1963. Notably, his work found global acclaim in 1979 at UNICEF’s Year of the Child exhibition at New York’s UN General Assembly. Beyond the realm of stark newspapers, Satyan’s lens became an instrument that transmuted mundane moments.
On asking why they picked the works of TS Satyan, Arnika Ahldag from the MAP curatorial team tells us, “I think this is a crucial time for photography, with AI technology being able to generate images from scratch. Looking at Satyan’s work showed us, once more, how important the relationship between the photographer and the people he photographed is and how much compassion you can find in each photograph. And 2023 is the year of TS Satyan’s birth centenary. Years ago, the TS Satyan Estate gifted a large collection of photographs, contact sheets, negatives, notes and newspaper clippings and we wanted to honour their generosity and share the material with a wider audience.”
During our visit to the museum, we observed that the exhibition delves beyond journalism, revealing Satyan as an artist who loved street photography. Curated from the 1970s and till the mid-20th century, a time that epitomized his career’s zenith, the display transports us to bygone days. Among the silver gelatin prints, Monkeys Enjoying a Ride Atop a Car instantly occupied a small part of our hearts. Beyond the humour inherent in the title, the image evokes memories of shared road trips taken in ambassador cars that served as ‘Tourist Taxis.’ The accompanying newspaper article chronicles Satyan’s encounter with mischievous monkeys drawing chuckles from visitors.
Another poignant moment captured in Flash Floods showcases a father cradling his infant on a floating tube — an intimate snapshot amidst the disaster’s aftermath. School for the Blind captures the camaraderie of two blind kids with the biggest smiles we’ve seen while the reflection of a dancer applying lipstick in the mirror and a candid moment between actors on a movie set are some of Satyan’s masterful compositions of freezing frames to offer us a glimpse into lives lived fully. Amidst this dynamic movement, a select few deliberately pose — a testament to Satyan’s capacity to balance the candid with the composed.
“His work stems from a deeply personal relationship with the people around him, there is humour and lightness in his photography. You can see an individual authorship in his work. Satyan often shows us something unexpected, he doesn’t just capture a moment. He shows soldiers waiting, standing idle, observing, rather than in heroic poses. Workers are shown as skilled people, balancing life, work and hardship with strength, mentally and physically. These very human moments, but also their resilience is reflected in these photographs,” she shares.
An edit of 42 photographs by Satyan, contact sheets, one of his first cameras and newspaper articles are on display. Through the Bloomberg Connects App, the visitors can also explore the reverse of the photographs and read Satyan’s notes scribbled on the back of his photos. The exhibition is curated in a way that there are multiple starting points to experience the show. It shows the interconnectedness of life, worship, rituals, highlights and in-betweenness of moments and the before and after. “If you compare the photograph of Jawaharlal Nehru with the photograph of the little kid, his daughter, it strikes you that he doesn’t differentiate between people. The prime minister is shown turning away from the camera, perhaps tired after a long day, while the child is a full profile, playing with the camera, very aware that she is being photographed. I think, he always wanted to bring out in people what he felt about them,” Arnika concludes.
Entry free. Ongoing till November 20. At Kasturba Road.