Each photograph in Seeing You, Seeing Me is a portal to emotions unspoken, a gateway to worlds unseen. The storyteller orchestrates these visual melodies, resonating within our souls long after we leave the gallery’s hallowed halls. The whispers of his imagery continue to dance in our minds, like the fading echoes of a serenade, forever imprinted upon the fabric of our being. As we wander through the gallery’s labyrinth, a portrait captures our gaze like a siren’s song. The weathered face of an elderly man wears the lines of a thousand stories. Photographed through the lens of Emmanuel Lenain, we witness a seamless fusion of diplomacy and artistic expression. With a background as a French professional diplomat, Lenain has dedicated his career to fostering peace. He has been across continents, from the vibrant streets of New York and Washington to the gorgeous landscapes of Beijing and Shanghai. In a corner bathed in murky hues, artworks pulsate with the rhythm of a bustling marketplace. With sepia tones, they become a living tapestry, where the conversations of animated vendors intertwine like the melodic dance of birdsong at dawn. In another frame, architectural wonders stand tall, their contours like poetry etched upon the skyline. The harmonious marriage of precision and the street’s whimsy is captured, a testament to the delicate balance between human endeavour and the infinite beauty of the ordinary. “This exhibition is a free narration. There are no captions, no location, no dates. It is a free flow of images regardless of the periods and places. Photography is a great way to cross visions of each other’s country. I have tried to convey my immense love for India, its immensity, diversity, vibrancy and above all supreme poetry,” he tells us.
As an accomplished diplomat and a photographer, how do these two roles intersect in your work?
My profession has allowed me to travel extensively in this supremely diverse country that is India and therefore, provided me with many occasions to explore with my camera. I do not think it has had an impact on the choice of subjects since I always maintain a clear separation between the two activities. I need to be fully engaged when I do something.
How do you navigate the fine line between capturing genuine moments and respecting the privacy or sensitivity of the subjects you photograph?
For me good photography has to convey emotions, otherwise, it is bland and vain. When shooting a portrait, the photographer intrudes into the privacy of the subject. The contact is real and sometimes deep but also artificial since both of them belong to two different worlds and will most probably never meet again. I rarely ask to sit for a photo since I don’t like staged photos, I like spontaneity, but at the first sign of discomfort, I stop shooting and withdraw. I also try to send the photo to the subject afterwards.
In this show, you explore the relationship between the observer and the observed. How do you believe this dynamic is portrayed through the medium of photography?
Photography has this unique ability to stop the clock and focus on a moment of grace and makes it look eternal. I focus on the initial interaction between the observer and the observed. All sorts of expressions can be read on the face of the latter: surprise, fear and sometimes even amusement.
Your works in the show have been described as depicting ‘different sides of the human processes…’
Any subject will react to the fact he or she is being shot with a camera. Any viewer in front of a print will voluntarily or involuntarily establish connections between images that he or she is presented with.
You have mentioned your preference for black and white photography, particularly using silver gelatin. What draws you to this traditional medium? It is an aesthetic taste — I have always preferred lines and patterns to colours, drawing to painting — and also an obligation to go and dig under what is obvious. The order behind the apparent chaos, the unintended life of objects, the unease of human beings with nature and their preference for artifice: is my current themes.
Looking beyond, what future projects or themes are you interested in exploring?
My next show opening on June 22 at the Bihar Museum in Patna for the Biennale is entitled Nature Strikes Back and explores the tension — and, often unfortunately, the tussle — between human beings and nature. Nature is repressed and chained in big urban centres but everywhere we see her ready to reclaim her rights.
Your portraits in the second phase of the exhibition aim to evoke unease and contemplation. What is your intention behind this approach?
Our human interactions are highly complex. Shooting portraits without the portrait being able to take a pose is a way to render the different feelings and expressions that another presence will inevitably produce in a human being.
Till June 27. Free entry. 6 pm. At Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills. — chokita@newindianexpress. com @PaulChokita