Sambhu Das' Beyond the Lens: Unmasking the formless

Currently on display at Kolkata's Central Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Beyond the Lens marks photographer Sambhu Das' eighth solo exhibition.

- ABHINAVA GOSWAMI

REPAIRING PORTION OF A CAR Currently on display at Kolkata's Central Gallery of the Academy of Fine Arts, Beyond the Lens marks photographer Sambhu Das' eighth solo exhibition. Through his enigmatic compositions, Das compels viewers to engage with the tenuous boundary between form and formlessness. His recurring imagery—faces that emerge and dissolve in layers of texture—reflects a philosophy he succinctly articulates: "There is always form within the formless."

During a recent gallery tour, Das shared the story of his artistic maturation, tracing it back to his formative years at the Photographic Association of Dum Dum (PAD) from 1993 to 1996. Under the mentorship of the iconic Benu Sen, Das cultivated both technical precision and an intuitive sensitivity to ephemeral beauty. Though his early works adhered to PAD's pictorial traditions, he gradually began exploring expressionist approaches, culminating in his first group exhibition at the Academy's North Gallery in 1999. There, he ventured into uncharted creative territory, capturing the subtle interplay of light, shadow, and human presence in everyday objects.

Das' photographs are grounded in his belief that spontaneity and perception are central to artistic vision. In his work, faces and silhouettes emerge from unexpected surfaces—tree bark, decayed walls, torn posters, broken glass and tin containers—transforming the mundane into sites of discovery. These impressions evoke both familiarity and mystery, challenging viewers to decipher meaning from ambiguity.