The Speaking Tree, an exhibition based on abstract and minimalist photography at the twin galleries of Gauhati Artists’ Guild from November 10 to 15, promises to be different.
The exhibition is being organised by a socio-cultural group, Bornil, comprising students of the 1986 batch of the Balya Bhawan School as a tribute to eight of their classmates who have passed away.
Debashis Bezbaruah, an organiser, said the exhibition would be dedicated to the memories of eight students of the 1986 HSLC batch of the school.
“Preetam Dutta, Mitali Kalita, Ranjan Rashmi Sarma, Jitumoni Bora, Mintumoni Bora, Sankumoni Bordoloi, Pallab Bora and Swarup Sharma who all belonged to Jorhat died early and contributed in some measure to the development of society. This is a tribute to them,” he said.
Bezbaruah said that a broader objective of this exhibition was, however, to effect a paradigm shift in the way photography is viewed in this part of the country.
“It is being based on the concept of abstract and minimalist photography to harness its potential to act as a strong medium for mirroring subtle artistic sensibilities as well as to give viewers a spiritual relief from the stressful din and bustle of modern-day life,” he said.
Describing the twin themes Bezbaruah said that minimalist photography, artistically speaking, depended on high simplicity and used a minimal amount of compositional components.
The goal was to convey a concept or an idea and provoke an emotional response through this simplicity and to provide a unique visual experience.
“An abstract image” he said, “is not a literal representation of a scene or object. It is a way to look at the world creatively, rather than simply as a visual record of a scene or object.
“An abstract artist or photographer strives to show an image or an emotion in a different way than it would ordinarily be seen or presented,” he added.
Works by members of some prominent photography associations and invited photo-artists will be on display.
Eminent artist Noni Borpuzari will inaugurate the show on November 10 at 6 p.m.
