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ESSAY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT
Prabuddha Dasgupta
Longing
“Longing” is my ongoing personal journal of memory and experience, based on everyday experiences…family, friendships, places known, spaces occupied, journeys remembered… At the centre of which stands a vital love story that became the pivot of my life six years ago… Elements from this love story appear as recurring motifs… Establishing the lexicon, which seeks to hold the journal together. All this is seen not in the context of specific time and place but through the personal, unfixed gaze of dream and memory.
The intent is to create an oblique, non-linear narrative, which seeks to evoke through the selective memory of my experiences, a journey of the viewer’s own.
The work in its infancy, with a different edit was shown at the Bodhi Art Gallery in New York in 2007-2008, and a selection of images from it were shown in a group show at the Whitechapel Gallery in London as part of “Where Three Dreams Meet” an exhibition of Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi photography. The show opens at the Fotomuseum Winterthur, Switzerland on June 12th.
Bio
Prabuddha Dasgupta is a self-taught Indian photographer, whose work has been exhibited internationally in both solo and group shows. He is the author of 3 books, and the last one “Edge of Faith” (Seagull Books), a portrait of the disappearing Catholic community in Goa, India, was published in September 2009. He lives in Goa, India.
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To me, one of the best essays I’ve seen on Burn. Wonderful photography that really channels emotion. Every image could be a beautiful single, yet the essay really works as a whole. Often this sense of continuity lacks in essays with a “diary” style focus. Congratulations!
>>>Gustav
Let me second Gustav. Prabuddha, this is absolutely exquisite. I’m in love with #14.
I could not get through the whole set because of the fake, Photoshop grain imposed upon these otherwise stellar images.
michal. while I too found that the treatment on a few of the images intruded, on the whole I think there is some fantastic work in here. I did struggle with the length of the presentation, but I think these shown as prints on a wall(blown up big) would be an arresting experience.
Also, for the first time in quite a while i found that the artists statement fitted the pictures well.
While looking your presentation it came to me a theatrical term, that is “dramatis personae”. Meaning to characterize your series as a dramatic work. This is how I perceived your work, theatrical in one hand but with a photographic essence on the other.
I’m not sure about some photos though, whether they fit (imo) to your series: #1,11,26,28,37. Other than that, it’s great.
Regards
‘non linear narrative’
when I read that,
I wasn’t sure I understood…
after seeing your photos,
I understand…..
completely non linear,
and successful…
Love the bedroom series…
BRAVO!!
**
Hello Prabuddha, I very much prefer the essay as it is shown on your website, both the editing and the sequencing.. also the light background helps to appreciate the pictures more (just my opinion of course).
Will visit the “Where Three Dreams Meet” exhibit on Friday and look for your pictures, I found two of them in the catalogue (well, book really) of the exhibit. Cheers!
Hi, Prabuddha
Congratulations on being published on Burn! You now can be said to burn even hotter than the bedroom photos in your essay, something i say with complete good cheer. I agreed with the comments made so far by Nastos, John, Gustav and Wendy..i watched the essay before reading your statement and i was a bit confused by the varying subject matter but since all were dark and dreamy, it made sense to me..something about life, love, passion, loss and the daily moments in-between which at the time seem humdrum but when glimpsed from behind the fading curtain of time begin to seem extraordinary.
I had no problem with the dark grainy look, whether photoshopped or not because the method was employed to wordlessly express your strongly felt vision which delved deeply into dreams, faint glimpses into the past; selective memory playing back on a scratchy record.
This essay would have worked incredibly well with just the bedroom photos and the one of the girl running on the beach as well as post coital views of her face smoking, etc. You could easily have done that but you chose to interweave contextual subject matter as well. The one photo i am not sure about is the last one since i don´t know who this person is or what he´s doing there. Maybe it´s only important that you know who he is and that he figures powerfully into your life but i was left with a question mark of puzzlement at the end.
Wishing you the very best of success with your projects:
Kathleen
Eva
while i did not see this work on his website, i do agree that a light background would bring these photos somewhat out of the gloom. I have the same problem myself with a nocturnal project of mine. A black background has the effect of completely swallowing up the subtlety of work that is already dark.
best
k-
Hi Prabuddha, love your essay – it’s poetic, emotional & unique. All best, Chantal
Spectacular work! Does what (to me) the best art does and that is set up a vibrational energy between image and viewer, one that is all about feeling and less about narrative. Bravo, Prabuddha. You are one to watch…
Patricia
ut-oh..i really didn´t mean this the way it sounds..
¨post coital views of her face smoking¨
I meant obviously..¨post-coital views of her face as she smokes a cigarette¨
thought i better rephrase that, with all due respect.
k
“But what is memory if not the language of feeling, a dictionary of faces and days and smells which repeat themselves like the verbs and adjectives in a speech, sneaking in behind the thing itself,into the pure present, making us sad or teaching us vicariously…” –HOPSCOTCH, –julio cortazar
gorgeous :))
the cat broke my heart! :))
You left me longing, too… longing to have known that beautiful woman as you have known her; longing to be young again and to know my wife as I once knew her (and lest no one misinterpret, I greatly love her now and am pleased to know her as she is) longing to have those cats leap up onto my lap and sit there, purring, as I stroke their foreheads and scritch their ears..
I do believe your essay conveys what you say you set out to convey.
I too, was puzzled by the fellow in the ending shot, but, what the hell – what’s wrong with leaving someone puzzled a bit?
Oh, yes… and longing to go back to India.
I always long to go back to India. I can’t quite figure it out, as India is the antithesis of all that I have ever sought – wild, open, space, free from the trampling crowd and clean air. Yet, I always long to go back.
Hi Prabuddha,
reminded me also of certain vibes of India. Something like Rushdie could write about.
feeling nostalgic for the sub continent now… ridding down the Malabar coast.
Thank you…all of you for your kind, generous and critical comments…and thank you David for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful forum.
I know this is kind of late for me to be responding…I have been traveling and have not had access to high speed internet connections in most areas, so by the time I got on, Margeaux Walter’s wonderful photograph was already up.
My sincere apologies to all…and to those who longed for or felt nostalgic about India after seeing the essay, I have one word..COME!!!
PRABUDDHA,
You have some beautiful photographs…. This young beautiful woman captures the light and has a very special grace… The portrait 35 is absolutely captivating and nostalgic….
Well done.
Eric
John Gladdy was right, big prints are THE way to have these displayed. Pity there are only four of them at the exhibition.. if it was possible I’d bought nr. 30 right away.. great!
After a long days Prabuddha you have sent a work ,truly international standard.Good projects of human conflict is rare in Indian photographic scenario.Thank you Prabuddha for making us proud.
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Thanks for sharing these images, hope to come for one of your exhibitions in the near future and witness your experiences first hand!
I am totally shocked and deeply saddened by the news of Prabuddha’s passing away yesterday.
He was still young and vibrant, a wonderful photographer, an eloquent speaker and such a charming and wonderful person.
I had the pleasure of seeing Prabuddha show his work and talk about it last October at the Delhi Photo Festival. Most sincerely i found his presentation the most touching and memorable of all that took part in the week long seminar. Everything he said was so heart felt, honest and thoughtful. Especially touching for me, was his series “Longing”. A different, more evolved edit to the one here. As he said, it was a work in progress, the edit in constant flux… I thought the version at Delhi was wonderful, i loved it and it was an undoubted highlight. Afterwards i wanted to talk with Prabuddha, i felt like just giving him a hug and saying thanks mate, that was great! but as he was always surrounded by festival goers, happily engaging, i thought ‘ah… i’ll catch him later when it’s a bit quieter…’
He will be greatly missed.
Excellent sensitive and powerful work.
Oh, I’ve just read the sad news.