SANTOSH KUMAR KORTHIWADA - EXPOSURE EMERGING PHOTOGRAPHERS SHOWCASE

Inseparable Fragments: Oscillating between the longings of the past and dreams of the future; I bring together my fragmented memories from most of my life in India and the last decade in the North American continent. The more time I spend in Canada, the further I have been going away from my memories of home. The curse and boon of looking at life intensely has gotten me to closely follow my emotions and thoughts. This internal journey opened the door to witness the process of my memories of the past being overwritten by current experiences. Unlike the digital overwriting of a document that happens in a fraction of a second, I can sense, feel, and encounter the step-by-step agonizingly slow progression of memory amalgamation. Sometimes this experience is so powerful that it startles me from a deep sleep, jolts me out of a conversation, and even shakes me out of a serene evening with my family.

I wonder and dread the day, wherein I have to struggle to remember the rusty blue window of the house I grew up in; the soft texture of the pinkish silver cotton saree my grandmother wore; the rhythmic chant of the vegetable seller in the market; or the taste of the never quenching salty water from the borewell at my school. Hence, these digital collages are born out of the spiritual attachment and detachment of the land I was born in, the land that I live in, and perhaps the land I belong to at the end. Taking small pieces from the film and digital images I made since 1996, I digitally assembled my mnemonic illuminations of the culture, place, people, and experiences. I intentionally made large prints to preserve the details as much as possible to create the space for viewers’ emerging narratives.

BIOGRAPHY

Santosh Korthiwada is Calgary based award-winning photographer and educator. He focuses on visual storytelling exploring the fine art and documentary genres. Santosh graduated from the Academy of Art University with M.F.A. in Photography, and several galleries and exhibitions featured his work across Asia, Europe, Australia, and North America. Santosh is a founding member of immigrant arts collective THA BLOC.