Saturday Aug 3rd sees the launch of Snapshots of Mumbai– the exhibition at Wolverhampton Art Gallery, running until August 31st. Entry is free.
Part of a wider body of work on the South Asian megacity, Snapshots of Mumbai– the exhibition will display twelve original images with supporting narrative; exploring the nuances, idiosyncrasies and identities of Mumbai.
From the stoic battle between majesty and history, as depicted in ‘A Ferocious Standoff’ the exhibition’s lead image of the Taj Hotel and Gateway of India, to the humour, beauty and utter confusion that floods through a city of over 25million people, Snapshots of Mumbai – the exhibition is the first public display from the project.
Previously at Bilston Art Gallery, the 12 images now at Wolverhampton are set to tour both the UK and South India in 2014.
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A Ferocious Standoff
‘The Gateway of India, squaring off against the Taj Palace & Tower. A ferocious standoff.
In one corner – the ostentatious ownership of the jewel in the Crown; in the other – India’s proud reclamation. Both beautiful, both ornate, both a lavish insult to the poverty at their feet.
Nowhere in Mumbai am I more reminded of home.’
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Created by local writer Ed King, Snapshots of Mumbai was a reaction to the global attention Mumbai received after the 2008 terror attacks and the release of Danny Boyle’s film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.
Having lived in India for several years, King was keen to present a wider city than the “headlines and hyperbole.”
“I felt Mumbai was being missed,” explains King, “lost behind press shots and news releases. And the response from domestic India was a mix of sadness, pride and frustration.
I often say trying to sum up Mumbai is like trying to find the end of a circle, it’s too big for one story, but the narrow representation it received after the 2008 attacks and ‘Slumdog’ compelled me to add mine to the pile. Plus it reminds a conveniently forgetful Britain just how linked it is to India.”
Originally an 800 word feature, Snapshots of Mumbai expanded when photographer Paul Ward came to take pictures of the city in 2010.
“Paul’s work was so powerful,” explains King, “that the images took on a life of their own. He had never been to Mumbai before and within 48 hours was knee deep in both the slums and banking districts.
We started working on ‘the book’, but it became clear that Paul’s photography needed its own platform too. So we collated ‘the exhibition’ and I added supporting narrative to each image which reflects the wider project.”
Snapshots of Mumbai – the exhibition runs from Aug 3rd to 31st and is free to enter. Snapshots of Mumbai – the book set for release later this year.
For more information, and samples of the project’s wider portfolio, visit http://www.snapshotsofmumbai.com/