“My creative ideology refused to accept that someone from a multinational company, say, based in New York, will decide how my images would look,” says Santiniketan-based artist Arpan Mukherjee, who specialises in and teaches printmaking at Visva Bharathi University. He talks about 1888 as a definitive year that changed photography as the world witnesses it today. “That was the year Kodak stated that all we need to do is press a button and it will take care of the rest,” he says, referring to the standardised process that had been absent until then. Arpan Mukherjee will deliver an Artist Talk at the ongoing Indian Photo Festival 2023 in Hyderabad on November 26, 6pm, at the State Gallery of Art, Kavuri Hills.
He explains that prior to this standardisation, the artist or photographer had more control over the type of camera, material and surface on which the image is transferred. “A photograph is not only about an image. In art practice, we look at the material, surface, size of the desired image, pigmentation and how it all connects with the concept. If we use a high-end digital camera and print an image taken with it, we will get a sharp image. But it is not unique. That has been my issue. I was keen to explore techniques that were prevalent before multinational companies standardised photography. I learnt that photographs were handmade earlier, which greatly inspired me.”
