Beyond reach

Photography and Kalighat painting were rival professions in the expanding metropolis of 19th century Kolkata. Both pay attention to current affairs, or to capturing a moment within the artist’s surroundings. Kalighat painting flourished from the early 1800s for almost a century, but fell into decline after the advent of the more easily reproducible lithograph and photograph. Eventually, the children of Kalighat painters migrated to other professions, and the last Kalighat painter is reported to have died in 1930.

Kalam Patua (India b.1962) has created a number of works and series about photography and the associated ideas of self-representation.

Beyond reach explores the power of dreams and humanity’s desire for things that are out of reach. Inspired by the angel sculpture on the roof of the Victoria Memorial Building in Kolkata, Patua has imagined the angel coming to life, soaring above a kneeling tourist who tries to capture her with his camera.

This work is part of an extended series entitled ‘Photography’, which features the same small, blue-skinned figure holding a camera, often overshadowed by the larger-than-life subjects he encounters.

Born into the Patua community of scroll painters and storytellers, Kalam Patua is a self-taught contemporary exponent of Kalighat painting, which draws on conventions from West Bengal scrolls and Indian miniature painting. A postmaster in a rural post office in West Bengal, he is one of the few artists painting in this style today.

Patua’s unique watercolours contain elements of autobiography and myth, and reflect on social issues and current news events. Topics include the changing nature of Indian society; dowry deaths and violence against women. He also paints light, humorous works, including a series about working in the postal system.

Exhibited in 'The 8th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art' (APT8) | 21 Nov 2015 – 10 Apr 2016