PHOTOGRAPHY may not change society, but it can prick its conscience. At least, this is the opinion of Karthik Venkataraman, 24.

His solo photography exhibition entitled Something Forever will be held at the Sutra Gallery in Kuala Lumpur from Thursday till Feb 26.
Karthik became interested in photography when he was a teenager in college in Chennai, India. He started printing simple objects on photo-paper without camera, examining two dimensional shapes and forms.
He subsequently graduated to textures, people and the effect of lights and moods. Unconsciously, his work seemed to veer towards examining contrasting images — the juxtaposition of poor and rich, of modernity and poverty, and of suffering and opulence.
Later Karthik worked on a photographic series exploring "shocking" images, including dead chickens hung by their heads, and close-up shots of skinned goats’ heads against the background of unconcerned faces of consumers. His images of shepherds minding their flocks amidst the pervasive presence of the military at the LOC (Line of Control) area in Kashmir expressed the vulnerability, ambiguity and precariousness of our present existence.
It was in September last year that Karthik discovered the Sutra Dance Theatre when it performed in Chennai’s Museum Theatre.
The tour enabled him to study closely the artistic workings of the Sutra dancers who became his subject matter: their inherent personalities, the dedication, the process of preparing both body and mind before the dance, and the glow of satisfaction after a good performance.
As Karthik was accepted as part of the troupe, he was able to capture the dancers in their most vulnerable moments.
The series of studies of Odissi impressed Sutra’s artistic director Ramli Ibrahim so much that Karthik was asked to cover Sutra’s India Tour (from December till this month), resulting in the compilation of the photographs for Something Forever.
The photographs captured the troupe’s performance in some of the most prestigious venues of the region such as the National Centre of Performing Arts (Mumbai), and well-known temples of India such as the Kapaleeswara Temple (Mylapore, Chennai) and the Brihadeeswara Temple (Thanjavur).
The entire experience was new and exciting for Karthik, who has never photographed dance movements before.
"What excites me is the form, the composition and energy rather than the beauty of the dancers. The effect of lights on mood was something new. The stage is another world altogether of which the dancers are completely in their element," Karthik adds, as he muses over more than 30 photographs which he has selected for the exhibition among thousands he had taken of the tour.
Something Forever is the result of Karthik’s artistic foray into the world of dance, particularly Odissi, not only behind and on stage but in the context of the some of the most iconic venues of India.
Sutra Gallery is at 12, Persiaran Titiwangsa 3, Kuala Lumpur. Viewing hours: 11am-6pm (Monday-Friday). Weekends by appointment only. Free admission. Call 03-4021-1092/4022-9669.