In the lastest online exhibition by MASH, artist Shalini Passi captures Delhi’s architecture in monochrome depicting the city in its apocalyptic like situation

Capturing Delhi in monochromatic tones, here is an exhibition that shows all iconic places of the city wearing a desolate and deserted look. 

‘Forever Delhi’ is a series of uncanny black and white photographs captured in 2020 by artist and collector Shalini Passi. The black and white photograph series is divided into two categories. One being Delhi’s Heritage Architecture, other being Contemporary Architecture. 

Delhi has been known for its art and architecture dating back countless centuries. It has evolved into a culturally secular city – absorbing different religions, diverse cultures, both foreign and indigenous, and yet functioning as one organic entity. How we perceive a place is very much influenced by its architecture. And how we perceive a photograph is an influence of the angle taken of the photograph. 

Capturing this architecture, Passi presents a fresh lens to look at Delhi . With the various unusual angles, the artist attempts to capture the otherwise ordinary landscape through her monochromatic palette. The series of these photographs are an important body of work today, as the absence of humans in composition makes the photographs look eerie, and in a way manifests as an uncertain foreseen vision of the aftermath of an apocalypse that the artist envisions and portrays through her artworks.

“Having spent years in Delhi, I was always up for a walk around the city, capturing its current mood of the time. These images were shot in 2020. During the time when the pandemic was about to hit us in its coming days; of which, one could smell the preparation in the air; I decided to take a walk in my city. Spectating the banality of the aftermath of an apocalypse like situation in Delhi, it was a call to capture such moments. Little did I know then, that these moments were to later decide for our upcoming days,” says Passi.

The show is conceived in the spirit of raising funds to help India cope with the pandemic. Net proceeds from the sales are to be donated to Goonj and Meherban India Foundation. 

The exhibition is on display online at the website of MASH