CPB Connect Program - Kolkata
Presentations and Portfolio Reviews
CPB Connect Program - Kolkata
The CPB Connect Program was established to encourage participation from local communities in different parts of India via an outreach program in collaboration with established practitioners locally.
These one-day sessions across cities in India include presentations by the practitioners, an insight into the submission format of the Awards, and attendees have the opportunity to participate in a portfolio review as well.
In this edition, the outreach program in Kolkata, scheduled in November is supported by Emami Art.
Presentations and Portfolio Reviews by
Riti Sengupta, Visual Artist
Suvomoy Mitra, Photographer
Shuchi Kapoor, Co-Founder - Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation
Presentations: 11am - 1pm
Portfolio Reviews : 2pm - 4pm
18 November, Saturday
Venue: Kolkata Centre for Creativity
RITI SENGUPTA
PHOTOGRAPHER
Riti Sengupta is a photographer based out of Calcutta, India. She pursued a Master of Design in Photography from National Institute of Design. As an exchange student with a scholarship from the Goethe-Institut, she attended Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst, Leipzig, Germany in 2016. Her practice is an inquiry into the ideas of identity, memory and the politics of gender. Along with photography, Riti works with text, found information, collages and illustration. With her work, she wishes to deconstruct the ways in which women have been traditionally represented in Indian photography.
TESTIMONIAL
"It is daunting to put out our work, but it is also important for our work to reach more people and engage with the stories that we are working on. Our roles as photographers, artists and journalists become more important than ever in the face of fake news, censorship and silencing of independent voices."
SUVOMOY MITRA
PHOTOGRAPHER
Suvomoy Mitra is a Kolkata based commercial photographer primarily focussing on Industry and editorial. He has been travelling across the country and beyond for more than twenty five years executing commissioned photography assignments. His clients include industry giants like Tata Steel, Jindal Steel, Exide, Ambuja Group, Hero Motors, JK Cement and many more. His photographs are being published in wall calenders, magazine articles and various online as well as print media. He is an experienced trekker, travel photographer too. Suvomoy is a recipient of prestigious awards like Lalitkala Academi Lifetime Achievment, Unesco, National Geographic Traveller, United Nations Environment Programme, FIAP Gold and more. Suvomoy is often invited by photography clubs, art galleries, educational institutions and corporate houses to organise workshops and present lectures on photography. He is the author of two best selling Bengali books on photography technology and aesthetics. One was awarded 'Best publication of the year' in Kolkata International Bookfair 2005. His articles on travel, photography and lifestyle are available in Anandabazar Patrika (the largest sold daily in Bengali), Ei Samay (Times of India group), Pratidin and many more publications. His other interests lie in books, cinema, music and scaled modelling.
TESTIMONIAL
The heart of a camera image nests comfortably in reality. The most interesting part is the coexistence of 'as seen' and 'as felt.' As a photographer as well as a viewer, any photograph that speaks about our time, reveals the meaning of life and motivates our own behaviour attracts me most. Pictorialism does have a role to play. But for me, politics is more important than aesthetics. A photograph needs to be easy and communicative. I wish one need not spend a single word to describe a photograph.
SHUCHI KAPOOR
CO-FOUNDER, CPB FOUNDATION
Shuchi Kapoor is a documentary photojournalist from India and Co-founder of the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation - a platform that facilitates learning, exhibition-making, and publishing opportunities in the space of photographic arts.
Shuchi works at the intersections of visual storytelling, research and education, deeply curious about regimes of representation and visual cultures. She looks at photography as a medium of inquiry.
QUOTE
Photography has varied purposes in today's lived experience. The CPB Photo Awards were instituted to recognise and award image practitioners who pursue their passions with commitment and purpose. Be it spending time in nature, capturing cities, streets and cultures, looking at conservation practices, or the arduous fieldwork in news reportage, each year, our efforts are to honour and reward the best of these efforts. At the CPB Foundation, we strive to create equal opportunity for everyone to participate through our outreach initiative - the CPB Connect Program, and we invite a jury that observes sensitivity, context and ethics to help select the awardees each year. In that sense, the CPB Photo Awards are not limited to the skill of making the most incredible photographs, but also focus on thoughtfulness and relevance in image making.