NEW DELHI: The week-long exhibition of works by winners of the Andrei Stenin International Photo Contest opened at the All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society gallery, here on Friday evening.
The exhibition displays about 40 photos taken by the world’s best young photojournalists who won in this year’s edition of the prestigious international competition organised by Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency under the auspices of the Russian Commission for UNESCO.
Works from photographers from India, Italy, Russia, Egypt, Bangladesh and other countries are being showcased.
The exhibition is being held as part of the world road show of the contest’s laureates. The exhibition has already travelled to Moscow, Budapest, Cape Town, New York, and Italy’s San Donato Milanese.
According to the organizers, of the 240 winning entries, the 40 that were chosen were considered to be most relevant for Indians in terms of the subject matter.
Rossiya Segodnya Director of Photography Alexander Shtol, who is the executive director of the contest, said, “These are photos relating to acute social issues — social conflicts, humanitarian topics. And also just very talented, good photos that are included in the My Planet category. Each of them, of course, has a great story. These photos are not just what they capture when [photographers] go out onto the street. These are deeply thought-out topics that lead to serious questions, which, in turn, need answers,” Shtol said.
Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev also praised the Stenin contest organisers for bringing such an interesting exhibition to the city, saying that the event “turned out great” and brought out a massive audience comprising Indian partners, including from the media, to the opening ceremony.
The exhibition featured photo stories on a wide range of topics, including forced migration, preservation of ethnic identity, environmental problems, social volunteering, animal life and others.
Andrei Stenin Photo Contest starts world tour with exhibition in Budapest.
An important place in the exposition is occupied by the works of winners from India. One of the most colourful photographs is by Dey Santanu, which features near-obsolete professions — from the Bahurupi street costumed actors to street glass cutters.
India is also represented by Debarchan Chatterjee’s documentation of protests against the crackdown on the country’s lower and middle classes and vivid depictions of sporting events by Amit Moulick and Ayanava Sil.
The Andrei Stenin International Press Photo Contest was launched in memory of Russian photojournalist Andrei Stenin, who was killed in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine on August 6, 2014, after his car was shot at and burned on a highway.
Its main goal is to support young photographers and draw public attention to the challenges of modern photojournalism. The contest is a platform for young photographers who are talented, empathetic and open-minded as they draw our attention to people and events around us.
