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Karthik Venkatraman (1982, Chennai, Tamil Nadu)
He discovered photography when he was a teenager in college in Chennai, India, when experimenting with textures in black and white, eventually graduating into portraits and still-life of the "extraordinary" and "unusual". His early works already showed signs of veering towards the effect of contrasts, such as the disparity between the rich and the poor
Karthik concentrates in dance photography. Each photograph is directed from the composistion to the costume of the dancers. Most of his works are shot in exquisite locations, such as temples which bring out a lot on culture as well as aesthetics. The raasa on the dancers in conjunction with the hues selected form the mood of each photograph.
Karthik has managed to capture the intricate splendour of the ancient architecture, interspersed with the living grace of the dancers from the Sutra Dance Theatre Company. He had the opportunity to photograph the dancers when he was asked to accompany the international dance company from Malaysia on its circumambulatory tour of India.
Perfectly capturing the dichotomy of past and present, the traditional and the modern, the images are set against the backdrop of architecture both old and new. The dancer's lyrical movements and gestures are contrasted with the solid presence of the buildings that range from the ancient temples of Belur, the romantic pavilions of Jaipur palaces, and contemporary buildings such as The Theatre Complex built by the famous Indian architect Charles Correa.
His approach to the subject permeates towards the new and provoking. With his preference for the Dionysian and asymetrical, he composes his photographs as one would a painting, with thought and precision - the placement of his living subject is taken into as much consideration as the backdrop and the ambience. Whether the use the effects of shadows, silhouettes, or technical wizadry, the end results are nothing short of compelling. Gesturing dancers provide a stark revelation of colour amidst ancient, tiered stone walls; gentle sunlight rings, a halo around both supple body and unyielding stone; and silhouettes of Odissi dancers create arabesque patterns in palace durbars.
Karthik works and lives in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
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