A Journey Through India
A Journey through India
08 September – 08 October 2025
Open View 11 September at 7:00 PM
Gallery 1885, The Camera Club, 16 Bowden Street, London SE11 4DS
Theyam: Kerala’s Living God Dance
In the northern villages of Kerala, Theyyam transforms temple courtyards into sacred stages where myth, theatre, and devotion converge. Performers, adorned with striking body paint and towering headdresses, embody deities in all-night rituals accompanied by haunting music. With more than 400 unique forms, Theyyam is both a living archive of tradition and a fragile practice facing an uncertain future.
Durga Puja: A Spectacle of Faith & Art
Every October, West Bengal comes alive with Durga Puja, a festival that unites faith, artistry, and community. Centuries-old traditions of crafting clay idols culminate in vibrant prayers, feasts, and processions, before the idols are immersed in water. Today, artisans even bring this heritage to Chennai, recreating the grandeur for diaspora communities and underscoring how devotion and craftsmanship transcend geography.
This exhibition is generously supported by Felix Schoeller India, whose sponsorship of fine art archival media has enabled the production of these high-quality prints.
About the Photographer
Ashok Viswanathan, FFIP, EFIAP, EPSA
Ashok Viswanathan is an award-winning photographer and retired corporate executive whose lens is guided by a deep love for culture, travel, and portraiture. A prolific Salon exhibitor, his work has been featured internationally in the RPS Journal, PSA Journal, Fuji X Passion, French Foto, Lens Magazine, and more.
Blending digital and analogue practice, Ashok works with a Fujifilm X-E3 alongside his cherished Rolleiflex and Hasselblad film systems. Based in Chennai, he is Director of the Photographic Society of Madras (established 1857), one of the world’s oldest camera clubs. He also hosts monthly webinars connecting photographers across the globe and is passionate about alternative processes such as cyanotype, gum bichromate, and bromoil.