Independent writer, photographer and educator Zahra Amiruddin doesnt recall a specific moment that solidified her romance with the arts. It languidly seeped into her very being during her childhood. From storytelling sessions with her aunt, a children’s author, tales of her great-grandfather and having a flare for poetry writing and painting, to her grandfather’s sharp wit and his stronghold over rhetoric, Zahra grew up surrounded by creativity. While she started her career as a writer and wrote for various national and international publications, she also felt the innate need to photograph for the stories she wrote. It was much later, in 2015, when she went to study at The Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paros, Greece, that she discovered a visual sensibility that was dormant in her. Her time in Greece not only helped her tap into her visual language, but she also discovered a new way of writing with photographs.
We’re in conversation with the artist who tells us more about her ongoing show at Method in Bandra titled A Summer Slumber.
Tell us about your initial thoughts for A Summer Slumber and how did everything take shape?
I had been photographing the listless and endless afternoons during lockdown for quite a while. And when I make images, I do it without an agenda. Over time, my archive from this dystopian period kept growing. Emma had seen parts of the work while curating another exhibition for Method and suggested that I put them together in a singular show. Of course, I was delighted and worked to build a narrative that was less about lockdown and more about the universal feeling of Summer.
For me, it meant bringing together photographs of nostalgia, longing, a yearning for a place far from the one you’re in, and afternoon dreams that are often unfinished. Emma’s constant guidance and support made it come together. It also helps that she’s great at measurements and math, because gosh, building collages from my head onto walls isn’t a small task! Also a special shout-out to my photographer friend and math wiz Divya Cowasji — she helped make sure my plans could be executed with precision.
Take us through your creative process.
Since I’m a writer as well as a photographer, I can say that my creative process differs drastically for each of the two mediums. When it comes to writing, I have a long and lazy morning, procrastinate with multiple chai breaks, don’t utter a word to any family members around me, read a piece of writing that inspires me, and lock myself in a room with my desk and no surrounding sound. Then, the words begin to take shape.
With photography, my creative process is an everyday activity, since I shoot by instinct and not by plan. Unless, of course, it’s a commercial assignment, and I need some semblance of forethought. I photograph first, and then decide if an image belongs to a body of work much later. That process can be noisy, surrounded by loud music, and lots of company. And sometimes, there is dancing.
Tell us about what excites you the most about working with different mediums?
I happen to be a rather restless person who is constantly craving for something new. The rush of a new project, or the potential of experimenting with something, lights a spark that I feed off. While my need to engage with new practices can get exhausting, I think I’m grateful I have the curiosity to learn and evolve at every step of the way. I think that’s what excites me the most with working with different mediums — it’s challenging, and that means it’s helping me grow.
What would you say is the role of an artist in today's day and age?
I would think that art has always had the same purpose since time immemorial. While different artists have different intentions with each of their mediums and pieces, the final purpose is the same — what does it make you feel? Does it make you feel at all? Does it make you question? Does it make you speak out? And if your voice is crushed, then that in itself is a statement.
Finally, what's keeping you busy right now?
I am currently developing a book with my photography collective named, Eight Thirty. We’re a group of nine photographers who are women and live across the expanse of India, but have still found a singular space to coexist. I also continue to write and review art for various publications and find ways to push myself to make my own photo book come to life. And if the day seems rather free, I go for a walk by the sea, or end up practicing conjuring the perfect Patronus.
Text Unnati Saini
Date 18-05-2022