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The Hindu
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
World Photography Day: Hyderabad exhibition to spotlight works of 44 photographers
Each year during the Bonalu festivities that coincide with the monsoon in Hyderabad, an ordinary man transforms into Potharaju, a folk deity and soothsayer, his face painted in vivid strokes of turmeric and vermillion. Vedika Bonakurthy's photograph captures these Potharajus in the moments before the Bonalu procession, documenting their act of becoming. Titled 'Body Before The Spirit', the image distills the essence of local culture. This photograph, along with several others, forms part of an exhibition curated to mark World Photography Day. Opening on August 19 at the State Art Gallery in Madhapur, the show features landscapes, architecture, street photography, and portraits by Hyderabad-based photographers. It is organised by the Hyderabad Centre for Photography in association with the Telangana Government, Telangana Tourism, the State Gallery of Art, and the Indian Photo Festival. 'We did not want to be bound by a theme. The criteria was strong images that reflect the cultural landscape,' says Aquin Mathews, director of the Indian Photo Festival. From more than 500 submissions, 44 photographs from Hyderabad and Telangana were chosen. The selection ranges from portraits to architectural landmarks that act as cultural markers. While the photographers hail from Hyderabad and Telangana, their lenses often wander farther afield, bringing in visual narratives from their travels. Among the highlights is 'Echoes of the Past' by Deepika Daparthi, a black-and-white image of the Qutb Shahi tombs framed by lush greenery, with domes and arches that speak to the monument's historic grandeur. Ramdalai Tilak contributes an aerial shot of young wrestlers training at an akhada in Kolhapur, a nod to the region's thriving kusti tradition. Ravi Kumar Saxena's work turns to the Rann of Kutch, where a trader in handmade garments stands out against the stark white sands. Meanwhile, Sudhakarsingh Bondili's 'Shades of Bagan' captures the rustic charm of Myanmar's villages set against the backdrop of ancient UNESCO-recognised temples. The exhibition runs from August 19 to 26 at the State Gallery of Art, Madhapur. Entry is free.
New Indian Express
13-07-2025
- New Indian Express
Putting Telangana's hidden history on the map
HYDERABAD: Where history meets mythology and ancient trees stand as silent witnesses to past tragedies, Hyderabad-based heritage enthusiast Kavali Chandrakanth has found his calling. Since 2017, he has travelled across Telangana, documenting crumbling forts, forgotten temples and heritage trees — sites often overlooked but rich in cultural significance. Through over 23,000 photographs and nearly 3,900 videos uploaded to Google Maps, his mission is to preserve these fading traces of the past and push local authorities to recognise and protect them. Speaking to TNIE, Chandrakanth says his aim is not only to showcase forgotten monuments but also ancient trees that have played significant roles in local history. One example is the tamarind tree at Osmania General Hospital, which saved around 150 people during the 1908 Musi River floods in Hyderabad. These stories, he says, deserve a place in public memory. Through his initiative Mapography, Chandrakanth recently exhibited his work at the State Art Gallery in Madhapur, including his latest find, a medieval rock art site in Mahbubnagar. He continues to upload photos to Google Maps and Wikimedia so that more people can discover these sites. Speaking about how it all began, the 31-year-old photographer and Google Local Guide says, 'My interest in heritage goes back to school days in Addakal mandal, Mahbubnagar, where we went on heritage tours every year. As I grew up, I began fieldwork and came across incredible structures and stories that few knew about. That's when I decided to document and share them on one platform.' One of his most memorable experiences was documenting the dilapidated condition of a school building in Peddamunagalachedu, Addakal mandal. After he shared the images with local leaders, the Addakal ZPTC stepped in, funding a new seven-classroom building at Rs 35 lakh. During the inauguration, Chandrakanth hosted his first photo exhibition, Pragathi Pathamlo Peddamunagalachedu, showcasing the village's development journey. Since then, he has geo-tagged all 14 villages in Addakal mandal and documented temples, monuments and historical landmarks across Telangana that previously had no online presence. His work has reached a wide audience, with more than 409 million views online. The idea for Mapography exhibitions, he says, took shape after a meeting with Dr Mamidi Harikrishna, director of Language and Culture, Government of Telangana, who encouraged him to exhibit his work. Chandrakanth now hopes to formally approach the government to preserve both old monuments and historically significant trees and initiate regular maintenance to protect them.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mitchell High School students log best finish at State Art Gallery competition
Apr. 15—MITCHELL — A group of art students from Mitchell High School recently brought home the highest finish ever for a Mitchell team at the State Art Gallery competition in Aberdeen. The competition took place Friday and Saturday, April 11 and 12 in Aberdeen, featuring around 380 pieces of art across numerous categories created by students from high schools around the state. Top finishers for Mitchell included Dailyn Kiner, who won first place finish in crafts, and Jason Halfmann, who earned second place in 3D sculpture. Students Rachel Ziegeldorf and Brooke Emme also submitted artwork to the competition. When all was said and done, the Mitchell group finished fourth out of 13 teams, marking their highest-ever placement at the event. Brooke Jones, a senior at MHS, scored a first place finish in the ceramics functional category and took third place in photography. A work schedule conflict prevented her from being present at the competition, but she was surprised to learn of her success after receiving an email when it was all over. "I was surprised. I wasn't able to go as I had to work both days, but she emailed me one of those nights and congratulated me, which I was surprised about," Jones told the Mitchell Republic. Jones, who is bound for Northern State University in the fall to study art education, submitted two pieces for the competition. Her functional ceramic piece, titled Mod Glow, is an exercise in ceramics that also serves as a functional lamp. This was her second attempt at creating a ceramic lamp, having been thwarted last year by the challenges of using the materials involved. This time, it all came together, she said. "This year I made it again and spent some more time on making sure everything was correctly done. I'm just glad it came out the way I wanted. That was one I really wanted to make last year but it doesn't always go that way," Jones said. Her third-place piece, titled Erosion In Contrast, was a photography submission that featured Lake Mitchell as the subject. She took the digital photo in winter as part of Marica Shannon's photography class. The image was taken as an overshot view from a bridge, and she decided to not make any adjustments other than swapping the image to black and white. "I took it last semester when I had photography, it was during our landscape unit. I just went out by Lake Mitchell and took it over the bridge as a shot of the frozen lake, and then (Shannon) taught us how to grayscale it," Jones said. "We were trying to decide if we should change how light and dark it is, but we stuck to the original. We thought it looked good. I just let nature do its thing." Along with Kiner's first place finish in crafts, titled Fall of Icarus, and Halfmann's second place finish in 3D sculpture, titled Fanged Flora, the Mitchell team took home a fourth-place finish behind Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sioux Falls Jefferson and Brookings. It's the highest finish ever for the team at the competition, said Shannon, who teaches art at MHS. All five students involved worked hard to make their creations standout, and all contributed to the team's success. "I think Brooke (Jones) worked very hard. She's taken pottery three times and taken photography just once but she is a hard worker. She takes the time to develop her skill to use her talents, and it's a beautiful reward for her to place as well as she did," Shannon said. "It's a recognition for some hard working kids who have worked for several years to develop their talent and improve their skills." Jones, who has been involved with the World of Work program, helping Renee Berg in her art class at Mitchell Middle School, said she was looking forward to graduation and continuing her study of art at Northern State University. She aims to become an art teacher to help inspire future students like Shannon has done for her. She even has her first piece of college furniture ready to move in. "Honestly, I'll take it with me to college as a desk lamp," Jones said.
