Art is his playground for visual expression, reality his source of showing a cerebral hope in the prevailing madness, power and powerful people mere creative souls that stare through his lens. Rohit Chawla, media world’s most iconic face, a leading Indian contemporary photographer is all set to present a self-curated exhibition of handpicked photographs from some of his classic series at DesignEdit, curated by him at Spin Studios, Dhanmill Complex, New Delhi. Someone who could within a gap of a month churn two covers for India Today, one with PM Modi and the other with Rahul Gandhi, with a Jeff Bezos caught in an Indian tuk-tuk in the middle. Rohit admits to being most enamoured by the world of yore. The regal, royal era of art and architecture that he uses as illusionary bastions for his expression.
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Showing up in Delhi after a gap of two years (“I spent the entire pandemic safely in our home in Assagao Goa.”) the artist throws special light on his Taj series that captured the monument of love through the most striking of frames that were often set in sepia or starkly black and white tones. Royal India and the arts that lived within that era too are the subjects of his creative expression. He is known for his creative genius in re-creating classic artworks of Raja Ravi Verma and miniature art into photographs. He creates an illusion of the original painting while bringing his own unique touch. Recreating that mystical world of music, minarets, durbars and dancers, he recaptures the sheer aura of the Mughal era. Of palanquins that carried the Emporer to his Diwan-I Khas. Dance apsaras who decorated the durbar and nightingales who regaled all with their classical music Ravi Varma’s art through his lens. The men and women in the miniature series have immersed themselves in the ‘physique du role’, understanding the physical and mental sense of the roles they are playing. All of them appear to have, with great elan, slipped into the ‘King for a day’ feeling, surrounded by accessories and accouterments that are intrinsic to the nobility they portray and enjoying the lavish costumes designed by Tarun Tahiliani.
He, interestingly made modern-day muses: women like silversmith Kalyani Chawla, industrialist Ayesha Thapar, film producer Saloni Puri and Sal Tahiliani pose aka Mohini, the Raja of Travancore: Ravi Verma’s eternal muse. “Rohit Chawla creates an illusion of the original painting while bringing his own unique touch. In this combination of pixels, paper, cloth, paint and diverse decorative elements. He creates the magic that turns an old work of art into an established fact, a contemporary modern-day image, “ shares Rupika Chawla.
Presenting a creative medley of his works in a neo real setting of the Spin Store, Rohit Chawla presents photographs from some of his selected series. The beauty of the show is how the paintings are set inside real-world design settings that emulate a home.
Rohit Chawla spent close to two decades in advertising at JWT before moving out to start his own design and film production company. His solo exhibitions include Wanderlust, Tribute to Raja Ravi Verma, ‘Klimt – The Sequel,’ ‘Freeda! – The Homage,’ ‘World of Wearable Art,’ ‘Goa Style’ and ‘The Inspired frame.’ He lives and works between Delhi and Goa.