Sudeshna Mukherjee Ray’s thoughtful photographs draw crowds at the Chromatic Spectrum exhibition in Kolkata

Walk into the second floor of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture and you would spot vibrant colours all around. The walls are dominated by paintings, sketches, photographs and more while the stands are reserved for intricate sculptors. One among the many selected participants is Sudeshna Mukherjee Ray. Her set of photographs heavily border on visual aesthetics, nostalgia and a strange familiarity which connects the viewers with the photographs immediately.

What to expect from Sudeshna Mukherjee Ray’s photographs?

Named Chromatic Spectrum this group exhibition is on display till August 2, 2026. Organised by Artverse, and curated by Shubhankar Singha, the exhibition portrays emerging talents and gives them a platform to show their creativity. Sudeshna, a self-taught artist displays photographs which touches the cord of most Bengalis. Her photograph called Bisorjon depicting the red-saree clad Durga, stirs up fresh emotions and memories right ahead of the Durga Pujo season. When asked her about her interest in photography she mentions that it “has definitely been passed on to me from my parents. Earlier it was a hobby confined to vacations or family occasions. But lockdown changed everything. Confined at home and mobile at hand, the hobby quickly turned to passion. Now at 56, I am trying to reinvent myself as a photographer of all things interesting around me.”

Two of her landscapes titled, “The sunset, the clouds, the Hooghly, the Plains of Bengal” and “Of sunsets and broken hearts” are landscape photographs which portray the beauty of Bengal. she discusses some of her favourite subjects stating, “I love photographing nature. Sunsets are a favourite subject. I have loads of Sunsets from our Hyderabad home, where we used to live until recently. We could see the full moon from our bedroom window in Hyderabad late at night/ early hours of dawn. I would often wake up at 3 or 4 am to click the Moon. Another favourite of mine is clicking historical monuments. We love travelling to historical sites and my mobile at present has hundreds of photos from those places. Being a Bengali you can guess that I love clicking idols of Maa Durga, both while she is being cast to when she is being worshipped.

But as a self-taught photographer who prefers to describe her work as telling stories through images, Sudeshna too finds obstacles once in a while. Describing her experience of one of the hardest clicks, she elucidates, “That would definitely be trying to click the tiger at Kanha. That was years ago, before the mobile. Ultimately I took out the camcorder and took a video.”

At a time when people capture moment so rapidly, that they have started looking at the world through the lens, is photography still a game of patience or a moment that cannot pass without deserving a click. Sudeshna answers that by saying, “It’s a combination of both. You cannot catch a moment if you do not patiently observe the subject.  For example, you are trying to click a tree which might seem to be an immovable object to you. But if you don't patiently wait for the right light, the frame will not turn out well. But we are lucky than our predecessors. Digital cameras and mobiles let you click many images. And you have the option to select the best.”

Chromatic Spectrum is on display at the Birla Academy of Art and Culture between 3 pm – 8 pm till August 2.

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