‘Where India Dries Its Clothes’: Photographer Karan Khosla showcases Indian life in his solo expo | Mumbai News
‘Where India Dries Its Clothes’: Photographer Karan Khosla showcases Indian life in his solo expo | Mumbai News
Written by Samriddhi Singh Mahar
Upon entering Method Bandra in Mumbai, the first thing that catches your eye is a windcheater and a pair of pants hanging on the wall. Surrounding them are photographs, some framed and others dangling from strings with clothespins. These images span the breadth of India, from the nomadic tribes in Gujarat to the remote villages in North Sikkim, from chaotic urban pockets in metro cities to secluded mountain communities. However, there’s a twist—most of the pictures focus on clothes being hung out to dry.
These photographs are part of the ongoing exhibition ‘Where India Dries Its Clothes’, a collection by Karan Khosla, a photographer, filmmaker, and writer based in Mumbai and Goa. This collection has been curated from an archive that has been growing for over a decade.
‘Amidst forest fires’ features an image taken impromptu amidst a forest fire in Mayurbhanj, Odisha.
“I grew up across the country and that made me adaptable. Little did I realise then, it also fostered a deep-seated love for being on the move, which weirdly enough is the theme for this project,” he shared.
Offering an intimate visual exploration, the exhibition captures the ubiquitous nature of the everyday chore of drying clothes, a task that transcends geographical, social, and economic boundaries. While some photographs feature bold splashes of colour, most are quiet in character, like stills from someone’s life but without the person in focus.
“I didn’t want to intrude into people’s lives. In this series, people are part of the scenery, not the subject. The subject is the life around them and the clothes,” Khosla explains.
‘Goddesses under construction’ features an artisan’s garment being left to dry off amid the sculpture of goddesses in Kumhartoli, Ranchi.
When asked why he chose to document how India dries its clothes, Khosla shared that his intention was to challenge prevailing narratives about India. “While India has been captured extensively, it is often viewed through a Western lens—as a country suffering from poverty,” he noted, adding that he wanted to portray the authentic essence of everyday existence without ‘exoticizing’ it for external consumption.
He further revealed that this project also served as a creative outlet to combat the loneliness that comes with his job. “Freelancing can be very isolating. Instead of just clicking for the sake of clicking, having a vision gives me a sense of purpose when working alone,” he said, adding that he hopes for this series to culminate in a photo book.
The exhibition is on till June 30.
