 | Life Lived In Shade,
Mahabalipuram, India
Gelatin Silver print |
The World Bank Art Program is pleased to present this exhibition of black and white photographs by Pradeep Dalal. Images of the ancient Indian temple towns of Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram, Srirangam, and Thanjavur create an impression of places that are timeless and yet insistently part of the present. Life Lived in Shade, the photograph from which the name of this exhibition is derived, captures this force of nature with particular power. "The lines between past and present, sacred and profane, blur easily in the south Indian temple towns I photographed," says Dalal. "Yet other boundaries are more sharply defined, such as the pronounced distinction between shadow and sunlight." A sophisticated use of light and matter is indeed evident in all of these images: an elaborately carved, centuries-old wooden chariot wheels used for temple processions serve as surreal billboards for film posters; the profile of an old man walking up temple steps is echoed in a similar gesture carved on a stone column, reminiscent of prayer rituals that remain unchanged for a thousand years; a young child playfully leaps off a temple ledge under the watchful eye of a stone-carved deity. "Where I find beauty often surprises me: the proportions of an ancient statue or a simple concrete wall in an alley that changes in a dreamlike way depending on how sunlight falls on it." Dalal took these photographic sketches on a recent trip that began in Chennai then looped toward Srirangam via the one thousand-year old towns of Kanchipuram, Mahabalipuram and Thanjavur in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.  | Sacred/Profane Ratha,
Kanchipuram, India
Gelatin silver print |
Dalal was born in Mumbai, India; this trip was a pilgrimage of sorts. The resulting photographs are more visual sketches than literal descriptions of the beautiful temple architecture and sculpture. Instead they are more akin to notations of ideas he explored such as that of temples as theatre - backdrops against which some characters are sculpted from stone, others are alive, and still others are dramatically accentuated in high relief by sunlight. Dalal uses the photographic process as a catalyst to evoke an impression which is otherwise difficult to describe in words. In contrast to the literal sort of representation depicted in vibrantly colorful postcards, Dalal's work is subtle. Edges are intentionally left unfinished, giving a sort of reference to 19th century photographs of India. Light and dark areas are developed with dramatic contrasts meant to give a sense of the visual transition one experiences in physically approaching one of these structures. From a distance buildings appear clearly only in silhouette in the bright Indian sunlight. Sculpture and relief come into view as the eye adjusts from intense light to the welcome shade. Dalal's work is austere compared to postcards, yet his photographs subtly give the viewer a substantive understanding that probes beneath and beyond surface beauty. The viewer is left with a meaningful understanding of these unique places and the people that inhabit them.  | | View from the Exhibiton Opening at the World Bank |
Pradeep Dalal received his Diploma in Architecture from the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology in India and his Master of Science in Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has studied at the International Center for Photography in New York and at Photo Works in Glen Echo, Maryland. His photographs have been featured in a number of group exhibitions in the Washington, D.C. area and internationally, including an exhibit at the National Theater in Accra, Ghana. He is Director of Economics and Market Research at The American Institute of Architects' Knowledge Center in Washington, D.C. U.S.A. Index - List of artworks in the exhibition All works are silver gelatin prints. Life lived in Shade
Mahabalipuram, India, 2001 Meeting the sky
Srirangam, India, 2001
Afternoon rest
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Organic forms
Mahabalipuram, India, 2001 Sacred geometry
Srirangam, India, 2001 Path to water
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Hide-and-seek
Mahabalipuram, India, 2001 Watching over you
Mahabalipuram, India, 2001 Dancing on water
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Sacred/profane rathas
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Little gods
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Whitewashing history
Srirangam, India, 2001 Promise of heaven
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Still waters
Kanchipuram, India, 2001 Pradakshina
Thanjavur, India, 2001 Wall that breathes
Udaipur, India, 2001 Stolen heritage
Udaipur, India, 2001 Cleansing gesture
Ranakpur, India, 2001 Ritual vessels
Ranakpur, India, 2001
Permanence
Ranakpur, India, 2001 The sacred surrounds you
Udaipur, India, 2001 Law of nature
Udaipur, India, 2001 Our fleeting presence
Ranakpur, India, 2001 The walk
Banganga, Mumbai, India, 2001 Gup-shup,
Banganga Mumbai, India, 2001 |
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