Let a Hundred Photo
Festivals Bloom:
Prashant Panjiar
Priyanka Tagore

PT: This time there is an open call for entry. How has the
response been?
PP: The response has been fantastic. Around 2400
submissions have come in from around the world. Although the
quality of submissions from India was disappointing.
PT: It is reported that you made a controversial statement
that there are no good photography artists in India. Is that
true? In what context did you make such an observation?
PP: I didn’t make that statement but I did write that,
during the process of submissions, I was disappointed with
the submissions from India, to the Delhi Photo Festival. I did
not say that there were no good photography artists, but I was
surprised that the number of submissions from the stalwart was
or somebody talking about famous photographers who have
probably been forgotten, or somebody talking about music and
photography, and so on.
Then there are seminars which deal with issues, for example, working with non profits and looking at issues of social
importance. We also have 2 types of workshops. One, we have open workshops which are open to the general public. Then, there are some workshops which are on a one-on-one basis between the tutor and the photographer. Those are, again, based on submissions. So we have 3 such workshops going on. One is called ‘Work in Progress’, which is similar to the workshop we did in 2011, where photographers working on a long-term project, submit their work, which are chosen by the tutor. This time, it’s Munem Wasif who is from ‘Pathshala’ in Bangladesh. very pathetic, for example, photographers who work for the regular media, people who make their living out of photography, photographers who work in the advertising and fashion industry, and the likes. I was wondering what the reason could be. I thought these were people who have devoted their life to photography and we aren’t getting anything from them. Either they think the festival is stupid, or they’re too busy, or they think it’s below their dignity, or most likely, they simply don’t have works to submit because they’re too busy doing their jobs. Interestingly, all the good works that are being submitted are coming from independent photographers working on projects in and around India. The Delhi Photo Festival isn’t about single
images, I’m sure we would have been inundated by people in the media world had we asked for single images. But, we asked for a body of works which is significant and been worked on for 2-3 years. But they don’t have it! Or they have it and they’re storing it for posterity (laughs) or something.
PT: Please tell us about the seminars and workshops that have been a hot point of the Delhi Photo Festival.
PP: The education part of the festival includes the artist talks where many of the people who are exhibiting their work
will come and talk about their other works. This time, we have included people from the partner galleries in the artist talks. We have also invited people who are not exhibiting their works in the festival but who are important, upcoming, younger photography artists who deserve to come and talk. There will be younger and older photographers and diverse nationalities, again, as there are people coming from abroad too. Then we have lectures and illustrated talks which are not necessarily artist-based.