Photos

JaipurPhoto 2018: A glimpse into the work of Mr Chand, an Ajmer-based artist-photographer from the 60s

At this year's edition of JaipurPhoto, Christophe Prebois gave a glimpse into the work of Mr Chand, a photographer who was inventive | #FirstCulture

Matthieu Foss March 07, 2018 21:04:35 IST
Christophe Prebois’ story with Mr Chand is almost as old as Prebois’s fascination with India itself. All images: © Mr Chand / Christophe Prebois. "The Artist and the Photographer", 1960s-1970s. Image Courtesy of the artist and JaipurPhoto 2018
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Christophe Prebois’ story with Mr Chand is almost as old as Prebois’s fascination with India itself. All images: © Mr Chand / Christophe Prebois. "The Artist and the Photographer", 1960s-1970s. Image Courtesy of the artist and JaipurPhoto 2018
Prebois met Mr Chand in the late 1990s, when Chand’s Ajmer studio was fully operational and enjoying the well-deserved reputation it had earned during the 1960s and 70s, when it was amongst the trendiest in town.
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Prebois met Mr Chand in the late 1990s, when Chand’s Ajmer studio was fully operational and enjoying the well-deserved reputation it had earned during the 1960s and 70s, when it was amongst the trendiest in town.
Prebois is a French artist, connoisseur and dealer of Indian vernacular photography.
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Prebois is a French artist, connoisseur and dealer of Indian vernacular photography.
He was impressed by Mr Chand’s range, by the humour within his pictures, and by Chand’s inventiveness in expressing his fantasies, which are apparent in his backgrounds (and often employ multiple negatives or painted backdrops).
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He was impressed by Mr Chand’s range, by the humour within his pictures, and by Chand’s inventiveness in expressing his fantasies, which are apparent in his backgrounds (and often employ multiple negatives or painted backdrops).
Outside of old Indian photographic studios signs were commonly placed that read, “Photographer and Artist” – the artist being the person in charge of hand-painting the photographs.
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Outside of old Indian photographic studios signs were commonly placed that read, “Photographer and Artist” – the artist being the person in charge of hand-painting the photographs.
Conversely, this exhibition invites the visitor to view Mr Chand – the photographer – through the eyes of Prebois - the artist.
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Conversely, this exhibition invites the visitor to view Mr Chand – the photographer – through the eyes of Prebois - the artist.
Text by Lola Mac Dougall, JaipurPhoto 2018
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Text by Lola Mac Dougall, JaipurPhoto 2018