Beauty beyond religion - Benoy Behl’s photo exhibition in Kuwait on Islamic Monuments in India

IIK

Monday, May 20, 2013

An Indian, who taken over 30,000 photographs of Indian monuments and art heritage and made 100s of documentaries on art history. His exhibitions have been warmly received in 32 countries around the world and his name figures in the Limca Book of Records for having travelled all over India. Only Indian who featured in National Geographic magazine, Meet Mr Benoy K Behl, who is world famous for his Photographs of Buddhist Monuments and Art Heritage.

"Artist recreated the vision of life. The pictures of our monuments convey the essence and the harmony which underlies all of creation", said Mr Behl to Indiansinkuwait.com

Benoy K Behl is in Kuwait as part of his photographic exhibition on 'Islamic Monuments of India', which is jointly organized by Embassy of India, Kuwait in association with National Council of Arts, Culture & Letters in Kuwait. The exhibition will be held at Al-Adwani Hall, Dahiyat Abdullah Al-Salem, Kuwait. The exhibition will be open to public from May 22nd till 27th May 2013 from 0900 hrs to 1230 hrs and 1700 hrs to 2100 hrs. Tomorrow evening at 7:00 PM is the inauguration of the Exhibition. 45 of his selected best photographs will be exhibited at his exhibition in Kuwait, which will be held till 27th of this month.



"I don’t find religion on the pictures, I photograph all the subjects of beauty, subject which reflect the marvelous dedicated works done by human being. My focus is not on any religion, my focus is beyond any faith", Behl said.

Benoy K Behl is a film-maker, art-historian and photographer who are known for his tireless and prolific output of work over the past 35 years. He has been invited to lecture by most of the important universities and museums around the world, who have departments of Asian art.

"India has a vast, rich and varied heritage of Islamic architecture. These monuments are a great treasure of India’s culture and are of particular value as they reflect artistic and cultural links with many other countries", he said.



Mughal architecture of North India has been very well known. However, there is a fascinating richness of Islamic architectural heritage in other parts of the country, which has not been known very well. India has more beautiful medieval Islamic monuments than any other country. This is a fact of which neither Indians nor the rest of the world are fully aware, said Behl. This is his first exhibition on Islamic Monuments to be held in an Arab country. This exhibition is part of his project on Islamic Heritage Monuments of the World, covering 42 countries. He will be also capturing the beauty of the Grand Mosque in Kuwait as part of this project during his stay in Kuwait.

The architecture of Islamic mosques and tombs is an invaluable treasure of world heritage. Many countries have taken inspiration from this tradition. "The largest dome in the Islamic mosques is in India at Golgumbaz at Bijapur. This information is not well aware of by others. No other country in the world has so many monuments, than we have it in India. This reflects our rich heritage," he said.



The vastness of Behl’s photography presents a wide and new perspective in understanding the art of India. His work on the Buddhist monuments is well noted by the world. Behl has extensively photographed Buddhist art and sculptures in India as well as in Afghanistan, Siberia, China, Tibet, Japan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Mangolia etc.

Benoy K. Behl is recognized as the first notable photographer to use zero light photography at Ajanta Caves. Hundreds of Ajanta paintings are photographed using low light photography technique by him.



"Today, even though we are very much advanced in technology, we are unable to make such beautiful monuments which are made by our ancestors. The creation is not only about the technology. It is about the amount of dedication, unfortunately we are missing this today", he said.



“Today I have to shift on to digital photography. Technology reflects the state of mind. Today we are in a state of mind where we need everything quickly. Even if we make a mistake, we can quickly change in Photoshop but the quality of a work does not depend on technology, it depends on how patient you are and how much of effort you are willing to put into", he said.

“Your work is what you are. It is the journey within to find all the grace, which matters and the work will automatically show that. You have to develop the desire and dedication towards your work and everything else will come on your way, Behl concluded.

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