Bhupal Ramnathkar’s photographs to be showcased at Reflections

Reflections is a series of photographs shot by Ramnathkar in different parts of Europe over many visits

by exchange4media Staff
Published - Jan 30, 2023 1:33 PM | 2 min read

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Reflections by Bhupal Ramnathkar is an immersive photography exhibition that has been 40 years in the making.

When faced with the decision to choose a subject for his final year at Sir J. J. School of Applied Art, Ramnathkar sacrificed his first choice, photography, for a mundane reason called money; he couldn’t afford to buy an SLR camera needed to take up the subject. In the 35 years that followed his graduation, Ramnathkar has become a force in advertising and design, winning over 300 awards at national and international shows, including one of his print ads being selected among the best ads of the century. Umbrella Design, the agency he founded has created cutting edge design for some of the top Indian and multinational brands.

While advertising and design became his profession, photography continued to be his passion. He began photography in earnest, first, with a Nikon FM that cost a princely sum of Rs 3,900 gifted to him by Smita, his wife, in 1987, and later with a fully manual Leica M240.

Reflections is one series in the hundreds of photographs shot by him. Shot in different parts of Europe over many visits, the photographs are an extension of his visual aesthetic sensibility that pushes the boundaries by looking at the world in unusual ways and adds an unexpected twist to everyday subjects and objects. The results of this approach make you stop in your tracks and challenge your mind to imagine stories beyond what the eye sees. It is apt that a sizeable number of photos in Reflections have been shot in Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland, a place that continues to be a reflection of a traumatic past and forces us to reflect about our humanity.
When asked about Reflections, Ramnathkar in his characteristic manner says, “I have taken the photographs, created a visual stimulus and the only way to hear about them is to see them, immerse yourself in the experience of the exhibition, and let them speak to you.”

Reflections by Bhupal Ramnathkar is being held at Snowball Studios, off E. Moses Road, Worli from February 13 to 19, 2023.