September 13, 2019 – January 26, 2020
Following the Box showcases the work of twelve contemporary artists, each inspired by photographs taken by an unknown American soldier stationed in India towards the end of WWII. Chicago-area participating artists and curators Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral discovered the images at an estate sale. Funded initially by a Fulbright-Nehru award, Teller and Zbiral have made multiple trips to India, where they worked closely with ten Bengali artists to explore the photographic images through a variety of mediums and artistic approaches. Each artist was given digital copies of the photographs and asked to incorporate some directly into their work; deconstruct them; or simply use the images as a catalyst for their imagination.
Photographs are both windows to another time and place and mirrors of ourselves and the diverse worlds in which we live. Teller and Zbiral’s goal was to explore different methods of understanding the images, opening a dialogue about the ways in which American and Indian perspectives and memories might vary. At a time when different interpretations are often feared, this exhibit rejoices in those differences.
Following the Box is a visual conversation between Americans and Indians across space, time and culture, a mystery tale of old photographs and a celebration of new artistic interpretations.
ARTISTS
- ADITYA BASAK
- ALAKANANDA NAG
- ALAN TELLER
- AMRITAH SEN
- CHHATRAPATI DUTTA
- JERRI ZBIRAL
- MAMATA BASAK
- PRABIR PURKAYASTHA
- SANJEET CHOWDHURY
- SARBAJIT SEN
- SUNANDINI BANERJEE
- SWARNA CHITRAKAR
THE STORY OF THE ORIGINAL PHOTOS
In 1945, a U.S. soldier stationed in rural India grabbed his press camera and went off into the Bengal countryside to photograph. Many years later, curators Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral found his work in a shoebox at an estate sale in Chicago and have been “following the box” ever since.
After months of research, they concluded that the soldier was likely stationed at the Salua airfield outside of Kharagpur, India, near the present day campus of the India Institute of Technology. Part of the 10th Photographic Technical Unit of the XX Bomber Command, the group did aerial photography and mapping, preparing for a possible invasion of Japan. It seems that this collection of images was made as a personal project by one of the unit’s reconnaissance photographers.
These unique photographs mark a transitional moment in the history of India—a time after a devastating famine and before independence and partition. How the photographer obtained the trust of his subjects or why he photographed details of village life remain as much a mystery as his identity.
To continue to follow the journey, visit: www.followingthebox.com