After years of practicing law, Joshi decided to follow his deep-seated interest in photography, diving into the craft with both enthusiasm and a self-taught spirit. His work, characterized by its intimate and personal narrative style, explores themes of memory, space, and human connection. His work is currently being presented at the XXL Gallery as a part of the exhibition, The Desired Scaffold. Joshi shares insights into his unique journey, influences, and evolving approach to photography, offering a glimpse into the mind of a photographer dedicated to capturing the subtleties of life through his lens.
Foray into Photography
Akash Joshi's foray into photography is rooted in an unexpected shift from a legal career to the visual arts. "So, I'm actually a lawyer by profession, by training, by education," Joshi tells us. He graduated in 2015 and worked at a law firm until 2018. Despite a successful career, his passion for visual arts was undeniable. "I had always been interested in the visual arts and taking images was a very day-to-day habit."
Joshi's interest in photography was not just a casual hobby but a deep-seated fascination with how images are captured and depicted. "I was always interested in making them in the sense that I was always interested in the art." Seizing the opportunity, he took a break from law, enrolled in a photography school, and began taking independent assignments. However, the financial sustainability of photography proved challenging, leading him to return to his legal career. Yet, he continues to engage with photography whenever possible. "I keep on delving into photography here and there."
Reading Photography
Joshi's approach to photography was shaped by both classic and contemporary influences. "One of those classic masters like Henri Cartier-Bresson...it was more readings on photography," he notes, emphasizing the impact of theoretical works like John Berger’s Ways of Seeing and Roland Barthes’ Camera Lucida. These readings, rather than just viewing photographs, made him question how he perceives and creates images.
Contemporary influences also played a crucial role. "There is this one very interesting photographer whose work I follow a lot is this person called Anurag Banerjee," Joshi shares. He admires Banerjee's intimate portrayals of settings, people, and spaces, which inspire Joshi's aspiration to capture personal spaces and interactions with a similar depth.
Photojournalism
Joshi’s preferred style of photography leans towards documentary and photojournalism. "I prefer sticking, let’s say, even if I’m covering an event, to one person and follow that person so that through that person’s eyes, I’m able to see the event and tell their story." He explains that this approach allows him to capture more intimate and personal aspects of his subjects.
In one of his early projects, he focused on a character in a locally staged Ramlila in Uttarakhand. "I kind of, you know, sunk my claws into was this guy who portrayed the character of Shoop Nakha." Joshi emphasizes the importance of familiarizing himself with people and spaces before photographing them, which he believes adds depth and authenticity to his work.
The Desired Scaffold at XXL Gallery
Joshi’s exhibit at XXL Gallery, delves into memory and personal space. "It's basically trying to depict the memory of a place as how I remember it." The project was sparked by Joshi's reflections during the COVID-19 lockdown, a period when he was physically distanced from his childhood home. "During COVID, it began troubling me that the image I was looking at of a time gone by wasn’t depicting the things I felt when I lived there as a child."
His exhibit captures the mood and essence of his childhood home, despite its physical changes over time. "I had to rely a lot on the mood that I was creating." Joshi’s work is marked by its moody, darkly lit photographs, reflecting his personal memories and feelings associated with the space. The project began as a personal exploration but evolved into a series after receiving positive feedback from peers in the visual space. "It started as a personal project, but it kept on developing."
Future Aspirations
Looking ahead, Joshi is eager to explore new techniques and styles. "I really wanted to learn the darkroom process and like printing my own photographs." While he hasn’t yet pursued this, he’s interested in experimenting with older photography techniques. "I also want to sometimes experiment with the old point and shoot cameras...it really kind of makes you spend time in how do you want to frame that image."
Joshi also aims to refine his personal narrative style, focusing on capturing small, intimate aspects of life. "The kind of style I want to continue developing is personal narration where the photograph is not a large-scale event but tells a larger story through a tiny aspect of life."
Words Paridhi Badgotri
Date 13.08.2024