Fauna Of Mirrors
Fauna of Mirrors is an ancient Chinese myth that behind every mirror there lies an entirely different world inhabited by creatures unknown to earth. Photography is the mirror portal of our age that creates an alternate universe filled with powerful images that reflect our world while having their own existence as spectres. The romance of photography with its truth and lies has fascinated human beings and become an archive of the planet. The curatorial concept uses the ancient myth to ruminate in a philosophical and poetic way around photography today.
Curated By
Pushpamala N - Born in 1956 Pushpamala is a recognized as “the most entertaining artist-iconoclast of contemporary Indian art.” Her sharp and witty work spans photo and video performance, sculpture, writing, curation, and provocation, often in collaboration with writers, theatre directors, and filmmakers. Through these varied mediums, she aims to subvert dominant cultural and intellectual narratives.
Artists
CPB || Overview
Senate House
| Atul Bhalla | Offset Pitara | Armin Linke | Rashid Rana |Desire Machine Collective | CAMP | Sheba Chhachhi and Sonia Jabbar | Arun Vijay Madhavan | Naeem Mohaiemen | Raqs Media Collective | Susanta Mandal |
The Senate House is the administrative centre of the University of Madras in Chennai, India. It is situated along the Marina Beach. Constructed by Robert Chisholm between 1874 and 1879, the Senate building is considered to be one of the best and oldest examples of Indo Saracenic architecture in India, and incorporates many elements of the Byzantine style.
Government College of Fine Arts
| Vijay Jodha | Gauri Gill | Anna Fox | Aishwarya Arumbakkam | Navjot Altaf | Manit Sriwanichpoom | Ram Rahman | Simon Lee and Algis Kizys | Catherine Leutenegger | Kowshik Vasudevan |
| Indu Antony | Nalini Malani | Nandini Valli Muthiah | Tejal Shah | Vivan Sundaram |
| P Sainath |
The Government College of Fine Arts (initially known as the Madras School of Art) in Chennai is the oldest art institution in India. The institution was established in 1850 by surgeon Alexander Hunter as a private art school. The College offers Bachelor and Master degrees in fine arts, with courses in Visual communication, Painting, Sculpture, Textile Design, Ceramics and Print Making
Madras Literary Society
| Putu Sayoga | Angela Grauerholz | Liz Fernando |
Madras Literary Society was founded in 1812. The Madras, Bombay and Calcutta Presidencies were directly controlled by the London office of the East India Company then. The Society was a clearing-house and repository for the literary, exploratory, and scientific discoveries and experiences of the Civil, Military and Judicial officers of the Madras Presidency. The MLS is probably the oldest surviving library in India today, in its core function as a lending library.
Government Museum
| Manjunath Kamath | Archana Hande |
Located in the campus area of Madras University, the Senate House is one of the most stunning buildings in Chennai. Flanked by four towers and domes painted in earthy colours, the monument is a perfect example of the Indo-Saracenic style bent with the Byzantine architecture. Chennai’s vintage landmark now houses administrative departments of the Madras University and offices of the Vice-Chancellor as well as the Registrar of the University of Madras.
Cholamandal Art Gallery
| Munem Wasif | Khader Attia |
Cholamandal Artists’ Village, established in 1966 in Chennai's Injambakkam neighborhood, is India's largest artists’ commune. It played a pivotal role in the Madras Movement of Art (1950s–1980s), introducing modernism to South Indian art. The community, founded by K. C. S. Paniker and his students from the Madras School of Arts, combined art and craft for livelihood. By the 1970s, it became self-sufficient and a key hub for international artists in India. Their work, acclaimed as some of the best postwar Indian art, is regularly exhibited nationwide and internationally.
Student Show - MRTS
In November 2018, CPB Foundation launched its PhotoCamps program offering photography workshops for school students across Chennai. Students from both government and private schools were taught Basics of Photography; such as light, composition and framing.
In January 2019, the CPB Foundation selected 25 promising students to attend an Advanced Photography workshop on Visual Storytelling - this camp was the first of its kind residential format, mixing students from varied backgrounds all learning photography through phones.