A remarkable new exhibition is paying tribute to the rich heritage of analog photography, spanning nearly two centuries from its earliest 19th-century origins through the modern digital era. "Touching Light: A Prelude to the Bicentennial of Photography (1827-2027)," curated by renowned photography expert Aditya Arya, emphasizes the immersive and intimate qualities that make analog photographic processes unique and enduring.
The exhibition celebrates the tactile nature of traditional photography, from the chemical alchemy that takes place in darkrooms to the distinctive textures and imperfections that characterize each individual print. Arya highlights how the physical engagement required in film photography fundamentally shapes both the creative process of making images and the viewer's experience when encountering them. The show presents a meaningful dialogue between past and present, encouraging audiences to explore how analog practices continue to influence and inform the art of seeing in contemporary times.
"This exhibition is a tribute – an ode – to the practice and practitioners of photography, as we celebrate the bicentennial of the medium," Arya explains. "Two hundred years ago, a Frenchman named Nicéphore Niépce created the first photographic image using a camera obscura. His colleague, Louis Daguerre, went on to invent the iconic daguerreotype process, laying the foundation for truthful likeness of the image." The curator notes that 19th-century innovators took image-making processes to new and inventive heights, making photography's arrival "without doubt, one of the most impactful developments in the history of humankind."
The exhibition pays special homage to the tactile and sensory practices that defined photography's earliest years. Visitors can encounter remarkable 19th-century treasures, including Carte de Visite portraits from the prestigious Bourne & Shepherd studio, Darogha Abbas Ali's "Beauties of Lucknow" from the 1870s, and Felice Beato's stark, powerful images documenting the aftermath of the 1857 uprising. These works embody the pivotal moment when photography was first emerging as both a valuable documentary tool and a legitimate creative medium.
The early decades of photography demanded extraordinary precision, patience, and discipline from practitioners. Cameras were cumbersome and difficult to transport, photographic plates were extremely fragile, and exposures required long periods of time. Darkrooms functioned not simply as spaces of production but as laboratories of discovery, where images slowly emerged through carefully controlled chemical baths. The exhibition emphasizes these painstaking processes, inviting viewers to consider how the deliberate, methodical pace of early photography was central to its artistic power and authenticity.
"These negatives and prints are tangible objects," explains Curator Aditya Arya. "The analog photographs of the featured archives and individual photographers on show bear unique characteristics – grain, light leaks, and color shifts – that arise from the physical and chemical processes involved. These imperfections add personality and authenticity to each image, and the inherent fragility of the medium, both in materials and process, shapes the way photographers interact with their medium and contributes to the unique character and value of analog images."
One of the central themes running throughout "Touching Light" is the celebration and embrace of photography's natural imperfections. Grain, tonal variation, and light leaks are not treated as technical flaws to be corrected, but rather as authentic signs of the medium's humanity and character. In today's world, where digital images can be perfected and replicated endlessly without variation, the inherent fragility of film serves as a poignant reminder of impermanence and the value of the unique. Arya highlights this important contrast by emphasizing the discipline inherent in analog practice, noting that "the imperfections and limitations of film are not obstacles but the very qualities that give it enduring value."
"There was a discipline which has disappeared, and this discipline is rather essential to any art," Arya observes. Many of the glass negatives and silver prints currently on display show varying degrees of natural degradation over time, powerfully underscoring both the ephemeral beauty and significant historical importance of this art form.
The exhibition also positions photography as a crucial witness to major historical events and cultural changes. Felice Beato's photographs from Lucknow, taken after the 1857 uprising, are among the earliest visual records of colonial conflict in the region. His images, though carefully staged, remain stark in their presentation, capturing the devastating aftermath of war and destruction while raising important questions about photography's complex role in shaping narratives of power and control.
Darogha Abbas Ali's "Beauties of Lucknow" offers another fascinating historical perspective. His photographs of courtesans function not only as artistic portraits but also as valuable cultural documents, preserving a world that was undergoing rapid and dramatic change during the 19th century. Similarly, the colonial-era "People of India" series, long criticized by scholars as an instrument of ethnographic control and classification, today provides crucial insight into how visual representation was intimately intertwined with governance, identity, and colonial administration.
Alongside these significant historical works, "Touching Light" showcases contributions from 28 contemporary Indian photographers whose work demonstrates the continued relevance and power of analog photography even in our current era dominated by digital technology. Avinash Pasricha's extensive engagement with performing arts photography captures the subtle nuance of movement and gesture in live performance settings. Prabir Purkayastha experiments with gilded prints and other traditional photographic processes to push the boundaries of analog photography's expressive possibilities.
Serena Chopra's work embodies a quiet, contemplative documentary approach, where patience and intimacy fundamentally shape the relationship between photographer and subject. Other notable participants include Ram Rahman, Rohit Chawla, and Prashant Panjiar, whose diverse practices span journalism, fashion photography, and political commentary. Their varied contributions highlight the remarkable versatility of analog photography across numerous genres and contexts, proving its continued relevance in contemporary artistic practice.
"Touching Light" functions not only as an exhibition of remarkable images but also as a deep exploration of photography as a distinctive way of seeing and engaging with the world around us. The tactile rituals of analog practice – loading film, waiting patiently for development, and anticipating results – cultivate what could be called a philosophy of attention and mindfulness. In sharp contrast to the instant gratification offered by digital capture, film photography requires patience, discipline, and a mature acceptance of uncertainty and surprise.
The exhibition suggests that this philosophical approach is profoundly relevant in today's fast-paced world. In an age where images are created and consumed almost instantly, analog photography serves as a valuable reminder of the importance of slowness, fragility, and careful attention. It also illuminates the crucial relationship between process and meaning, inviting audiences to consider how the specific act of making a photograph fundamentally shapes what the final image ultimately communicates to viewers.
With the bicentennial of photography rapidly approaching in 2027, "Touching Light" positions itself as both a celebration of the medium's rich history and a thoughtful provocation for its future direction. By skillfully pairing significant historical works with contemporary practice, the exhibition explores how the past continues to inform the present and how analog traditions may continue to influence photography's evolution in the years to come.
The Museo Camera initiative specifically highlights India's important place within this global photographic narrative. The exhibition serves as a powerful reminder that photography has always been both a local and international practice, shaped by cultural exchange, complex colonial histories, and the individual creative visions of countless artists working across different eras and contexts.
"Touching Light stands as a celebration of the practitioners who, through their dedication and vision, have shaped the visual history of India," Arya explains. "It invites viewers to reflect on the enduring allure of analog photography and to honor the legacy of those who have preserved our collective memory through their craft."
"Touching Light: A Prelude to the Bicentennial of Photography (1827-2027)" ultimately invites viewers to slow down and engage with photography as a tactile craft, one fundamentally shaped by patience, chemistry, and deliberate artistry. By thoughtfully juxtaposing 19th-century milestones with contemporary analog works, the exhibition underscores how the discipline and inherent fragility of film continue to inform the medium's enduring power as it approaches its remarkable bicentennial celebration. The exhibition opened at Museo Camera in Gurugram on August 22 and will remain on view through September 29, offering visitors an extended opportunity to experience this comprehensive celebration of analog photography's past, present, and future.
