Photographs capture memories, giving a chance to relive them and reconnect with forgotten aspects of ourselves. Photobooks hold multiple such memories, a world of them. For photographers and artists, they serve as a medium for showcasing their visual creative visions. From Soumya Sankar Bose's post-Partition memory to Dayanita Singh's movable museum, these collections invite you to slow down, turn the page, and linger. Here are the photobooks worth keeping at your table and returning to.
Snow
Set in the heavily militarised, Indian-administered region of Kashmir, Snow by Sohrab Hura explores political violence. It uses the region's intense winter snow as a metaphorical veil that slowly melts away to reveal underlying social and political frictions. The structure intentionally documents routine domestic life while tracing the progression of Kashmir's three distinct phases of winter: Chillai Kalan, Chillai Khurd and Chillai Bachha.
A Discreet Exit Through Darkness & Things We Lost Last Night
This photobook by Soumya Sankar Bose explores personal and collective trauma, family memory, loss and the socio-political upheavals of post-Partition West Bengal. It is designed with two simultaneous openings without a traditional back cover; the book allows readers to start from either the grandfather's investigation or the mother's fragmented diary entries and oral history.
Portrait of an Artist
Portrait of an Artist by Rohit Chawla is shot over a decade across multiple private art studios and ateliers in India. It portrays vulnerabilities and the 'true self' of creative geniuses, contrasting stripped-back intimacy against typically staged celebrity imagery. A unique point of this collection is Rohit’s minimalistic, colourless approach; he deliberately utilised black-and-white framing and zero artificial studio lighting to capture unguarded moments.
Way Out Way In
This collection by Anish Kapoor delves into the deep intersection between the physical and the psychical, examining how raw textures, cavities and forms resonate with the artist's internal visual language. Spanning five decades, the imagery captures evocative structures, landscapes and architectural details Anish encountered across diverse global locations. Plus, this album represents the first time Anish’s extensive personal photography has ever been publicly showcased.
Animals
Compiled posthumously from an extensive six-decade archive, Animals by Raghu Rai depicts daily relationships between humans and animals across the Indian landscape, highlighting both the beauty of peaceful coexistence and the harsh realities of exploitation. A compelling aspect of this album is its purpose of serving as a visual meditation to rekindle empathy and recognise animals as co-habitants of our world rather than mere objects.
Ripples in the Pond
Set in Makharda, a semi-rural township on the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, Ripples in the Pond by Bharat Sikka explores the tension between natural heritage and the slow violence of modern urban encroachment. Bharat utilises the town's twenty tranquil ponds both as literal subjects and as metaphorical surfaces that reflect the convergence of personal memory, shifting social structures and structural displacement.
Como Box
Como Box by Dayanita Singh features photos captured in Como, Italy, showcasing Giuseppe Terragni's architectural modernist masterpiece. It expands on Dayanita’s signature exploration of the “mobile museum” and photo-architecture, challenging how photography is archived and consumed. The format consists of an unbound set of 30 image cards housed in a custom teakwood frame, allowing the collector to dynamically change the front-facing image and become the active curator of the exhibition in their own home.
Flashback
Shot in striking black-and-white analogue film between 1985 and 1993, Flashback by Ketaki Sheth centres around the raw, behind-the-scenes reality of the Indian film industry. The collection transports viewers to movie sets, studios and private stars’ homes across Mumbai (Bollywood) and Chennai. A highlight of this album is Ketaki’s unprecedented, 'fly-on-the-wall' access to legendary movie icons, extras and crew members during candid moments.
Faces and Facets: Satyajit Ray in Colour
Faces and Facets: Satyajit Ray in Colour is a photographic archive published by Delhi Art Gallery (DAG). Captured by Nemai Ghosh, Ray’s near-constant companion and 'shadow' for over 25 years, the collection spans intimate moments on various film sets like Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, Shatranj Ke Khiladi and Ghare Baire.
Raceday
This photobook by Sunhil Sippy captures the multi-faceted world of Mumbai’s historic Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Shot using a mix of film and digital cameras, it depicts impermanence and the endurance of a tight-knit community amidst Mumbai's rapid commercial redevelopment. The layout includes interactive inserts like positive acetate slides and a 'Gambler's Booklet' based on local racing guides.
Words Shruti Verma
Date 6.11.2026