A global photography open call reimagines everyday spaces in Chennai

Selected from 9,400 submissions across 37 countries, the 100 photographs on display traverse intimate and political terrains. In MRC Nagar, photographer Swastik Pal captures life in the Sundarbans, where severe climate change has brought humans and wildlife into closer contact. Shane Hynan’s Beneath Beofhod reflects on Ireland’s boglands as sites of memory and restoration, while Mateo Trevisan’s More than the Sun examines the impact of coal-driven industrialisation in the Western Balkans. 

Walk past OSR Park in MRC Nagar, and one is transported on an unexpected journey — one that moves from the mangroves of the Sundarbans to the peat-rich bogs of Ireland, from the industrial scars of the Western Balkans to distant, shifting terrains across continents. Part of the second edition of the International Photography Open Call showcase, organised by the Chennai Photo Biennale, this open-air exhibition unfolds not just here but across VR Chennai, and Avtar Foundation for the Arts, MRC Nagar bringing together a global visual conversation. 

Selected from 9,400 submissions across 37 countries, the 100 photographs on display traverse intimate and political terrains. In MRC Nagar, photographer Swastik Pal captures life in the Sundarbans, where severe climate change has brought humans and wildlife into closer contact. Shane Hynan’s Beneath Beofhod reflects on Ireland’s boglands as sites of memory and restoration, while Mateo Trevisan’s More than the Sun examines the impact of coal-driven industrialisation in the Western Balkans. 

Sugandha Garg’s series Littleness | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Sugandha Garg’s series Littleness, consisting of pinhole photographs, invites viewers to reflect on notions of space, freedom, and invisible boundaries that shape modern life. “I love the idea that you can be walking down a street, glance to your right and suddenly encounter a work someone has spent a decade creating… there’s something deeply democratic about that moment of chance, where art quietly enters everyday life, opening up the world in the most unexpected ways,” says Sugandha. 

The artworks are selected by a panel of photographers, visual artistes, and filmmakers like Ashfika Rahman, Avani Rai, Kaamna Patel, Bharat Sikka, whose expertise brought a non-linear approach to the exhibition. “One of the criticisms we faced at the Biennale was, ‘How do I participate — where do I show my work?’ The open call was our answer: a space where anyone could submit, without the pressure of a theme. We wanted to let the artistes share what they truly want to say,” says Varun Gupta, founding director, Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation. 

Photographs displayed at VR Chennai. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT