മലയാളം
അറിയിപ്പ്
ഒരു ദശകം പിന്നിടുന്ന ഫോട്ടോമെയില്‍ മാഗസിന്‍ അതിന്റെ വികാസദശയിലെ മറ്റൊരു ഘട്ടത്തിലേക്ക് പ്രവേശിക്കുകയാണ്. ഇംഗ്ലീഷ്, തമിഴ്, മലയാളം ഭാഷകളിലുള്ള ഫോട്ടോമെയിലിന്റെ മലയാള വിഭാഗം, ഫോട്ടോഗ്രാഫിക് കലയുടെ വിവിധതലങ്ങളില്‍ അവഗാഹമുള്ള കുടുതല്‍ എഴുത്തുകാരെ ഉള്‍പ്പെടുത്തി വൈവിദ്ധ്യമാര്‍ന്ന ഉള്ളടക്കത്തോടെ സജീവമാക്കാനുള്ള അണിയറപ്രവര്‍ത്തനങ്ങള്‍ നടക്കുകയാണ്. നേരത്തേ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ച ലേഖങ്ങളും പഠനങ്ങളും പുതിയ വിഭവങ്ങളുമായി വീണ്ടും പ്രത്യക്ഷപ്പെടുന്നതുവരെ ദയവായി കാത്തിരിക്കുക. എഴുത്തുകാരുടെയും വായനക്കാരുടെയും പിന്തുണയും സഹകരണവും ഞങ്ങള്‍ പ്രതീക്ഷിക്കുന്നു.
എഡിറ്റോറിയൽ ടീം
Share
Related English Articles
Before The Death Throes | Metabolism of Culture
This chapter explores how ancient and modern cultural practices shape collective identities. It examines how schismogenesis—social divisions based on inherited beliefs and rituals—continues to inform both individual and societal behaviors. The analysis centers around Abul Kalam Azad's photograph depicting a moment of calm anticipation before a sacrificial ritual, inviting readers to question the interplay of tradition, ritual, and evolving identities. Through Azad's lens, the chapter reflects on how historical practices remain embedded in contemporary culture, highlighting their ongoing relevance to power, identity, and belief systems.
Fredric Jameson (1934-2024)
Fredric Jameson, the prominent American literary critic and Marxist theorist, passed away on September 22, 2024. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1934, he made groundbreaking contributions to critical theory, particularly through his Marxist interpretation of culture. Jameson's most influential work, Postmodernism, Or the Cultural Logic of Late Capitalism (1991), explored how social transformations were reflected in postmodern art, particularly in mass culture's commodification. Though his work delved deeply into the intersection of art and capitalism, Jameson is especially noted for his analysis of photography’s role in postmodernism, addressing themes of simulacra, reproducibility, and mass culture.
Beyond the mainstream: Xiangjie Peng’s Journey Through China’s Subcultures
Xiangjie Peng's latest book challenges mainstream Chinese photography by focusing on overlooked subcultures. Through three series - Dwarfs Empire, Twins, and Cosplay - Peng offers a nuanced view of contemporary China. "I am interested in the so-called non-mainstream people," Peng explains, rejecting politically sanctioned subjects. His empathetic approach lends dignity to marginalized groups, revealing a diverse and complex China beyond official narratives. Peng's work demonstrates photography's power to find beauty in unexpected places, presenting a unique perspective on modern Chinese society.
Pieces of the personal: Postcards at MAP portray lesser-seen past
In this article, Joyel K Pious explores the historical significance of early 20th-century postcards from colonial India, as showcased in an exhibition at the Museum of Art and Photography in Bengaluru. These postcards, primarily sent by English residents in India to their homes abroad, offer unique insights into the colonial perspective and the complex cultural dynamics of the time. Pious reflects on how these mundane objects of personal communication have transformed into artifacts of historical importance, revealing lesser-seen views of the past. The postcards depict various aspects of Indian life, often through a colonial gaze, ranging from exotic imagery to condescending portrayals of local culture. The article also touches on how native Indian businesses eventually entered the postcard market, incorporating patriotic themes and fusion of European and Indian imagery.
Battle of the gods | Metabolism of Culture
In "The Battle of the Gods," Tulsi Swarna Lakshmi analyzes Indian photographer Abul Kalam Azad's "Men of Pukar" series, using it as a lens to explore the transformation of cultural symbols in India. The author focuses on the shift from the buffalo to the cow as a sacred animal, viewing this change as emblematic of larger cultural metamorphoses. This transition is reflected in the myth of Durga slaying Mahishasura, a narrative that transcends a simple tale of good versus evil. Instead, it represents the complex interplay between indigenous traditions and incoming Vedic culture. By examining the evolving perceptions of the buffalo—from a revered symbol of fertility and strength to a representation of evil—Lakshmi uncovers the deeper cultural metabolism of India, revealing how symbols and myths adapt to reflect changing societal dynamics.
Photography, Art and Photographic Art: Notes on a Troubled Relationship
In Photography, Art and Photographic Art, Arjun explores the evolving relationship between photography and art, examining historical shifts in perception, technological impacts, and the role of photographic imagery in shaping modern visual culture and artistic expression.
Invitation to a feast at our home
Entropy — a performance inspired from fear, on peace — was organised at Forplay Society, Mattanchery on October 29 and 30. Rather than representing a single concept, Entropy develops in each spectator differently depending on their association with their surroundings. As a transdisciplinary work of art, it fuses theatre and film, which complement each other throughout the performance.
Taboos and totems, the holy and the unholy
There is an intrinsic conflict when anything becomes a totem to one and a taboo to another. But when seen objectively, these epical animals share one thing in common – mystical elements attributed to the tamable and productive or the untamable and powerful. The greater their contribution to humans survival and economic well-being, the more sacred they become.
The Meeting of Two Legends – MGR and Mammootty
From the erstwhile Madras, on the inauguration day, MGR arrived at the Cochin old airport, and I was there to shoot him. As a big fan of MGR, obviously one among the millions of MGR lovers, I cherished my fascination to meet and shoot him. A master performer who excelled in playing fashionable, romantic, globetrotting and adorable heroes, MGR was unique by all standards. As most of the journalists and photographers took images of his arrival and left, I decided to stick around.
Interview with Nick Oza
Nick Oza is a staff photojournalist at the Arizona Republic where he covers community and national issues like immigration, gang violence, mental health, and refugees. His 20+ years of experience behind the camera have taken him to places like Iraq, India, Benin, Mexico, Guatemala and all over North America. Recently he is working on Politics and Immigration crisis. He is driven by curiosity, compassion and a deep desire to tell the stories of the people he documents. His multimedia work has been honored with an Emmy Award and his documentary photos have received honors from Pictures of the Year International and NPPA's Best of Photojournalism. He was also awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service as part of the Biloxi Sun Herald's coverage of Hurricane Katrina.
Huge and Historic: On the First Cochin Carnival
After my father’s demise, I stumbled upon a few negatives he had preserved along with some valuable documents. It was amidst this, I found a few strips of the negatives of the Carnival Parade 1985 (The First Cochin Carnival), the culminating event of the year-long Beach Festival (1984-85). The origin of the Cochin Carnival is a lot more straightforward than what is being popularly narrated today. It began as a celebration of the UN Declaration of 1985 as the International Youth Year. Such a remarkable cultural event was made possible in Kochi thanks to its rich cosmopolitan history.
In my taxi, when a photo artist becomes a cab driver
What motivated Weideman to keep photographing? The answer to this is also an important quality that makes his photographs intriguing. He continued shooting even though he was not exhibiting nor getting into any sort of limelight until the mid-90s. Passion for the medium, of course. But there is more.
In search of the lost home
Across the world there are ongoing attempts to construct a ‘people’s history’ through photographs. Memory Projects, they are fondly called, focus mainly on the pre-digital era when photography was not as common as today. Bengali photographer Anandarup Goswami’s photography series ‘A Home of No Return’, though not directly linked with any memory project, shows certain resemblances with the latter’s style, and yet carries its own soul. A Home of No Return visually narrates the past and the present through a mixture of faded and fresh photographs.
Iconic Faces, Zooming into Raghu Rai’s photographic practice
Portrait photography is one of the areas where Raghu Rai has displayed mastery, and where he has revealed his own deepest convictions about the medium. Photomail investigates photographs of four spiritual and political leaders made by Raghu Rai, seeking to find what patterns run beneath the surfaces of these images.
Indian Photo Festivals – Business As Usual | Part 2
The Indian Photography Festival 2018 certainly leaves one wondering about what is so Indian about it; if it is, as claimed, only a geographical marker, how does one account for the large regions that are left unrepresented? One has to hazard a guess as to what really constitutes this Indianness, and if the claims are kept aside and the images surveyed, we are confronted with the truth of this Indianness – it is a construction rooted in what can be called a “global culture”, and can shape shift into whatever is needed of it.