In Person: An Elegy for Ecology with Sharbendu De

For the tenth episode of In Person, we speak with Sharbendu De about his ongoing show An Elegy for Ecology (2016–ongoing) at the Shrine Empire Gallery, Delhi. In this series, De narrates a tale of loss of habitat, human survival and loneliness in a story set in a post-climate-crisis dystopian future. Through this fictional narrative, De visualises a scenario that is rooted in the current manner in which we, as a species, are dealing with the climate emergency.

In the introduction to the book Photography and the Cultural Condition: Commemorating the Present, Peter D. Osborne follows Jacques Rancière’s statement, “The real must be fictionalized in order to be thought,” with this observation: “Photography’s depictions have to be, more than ever, emanations of thought and instigators of thinking.” De’s series follows in the tradition of staged photographs to depict a reality that we all share in this historical moment. It allows us a glimpse into an extremely probable future—where the extent of ecological crises has pushed the remaining humans indoors, trying to emulate an imagination of the outdoors. 

The choreographed images depict humans in private spaces—with domesticated animals, indoor flora, oxygen cylinders and air purifiers—in dark, cool tones that evoke the sense of loss that is evident in the faces of the characters as well. These staged, indoor images are accompanied by photographs of Delhi—with its increasingly toxic air already evoking the dystopian future—where De’s fictional characters are supposed to be living. In his artist statement, De writes about his hopes for this series to “…create occasions for interpretation, rather than objects for consumption,” and the sense of estrangement that his poetic images evoke must be seen as signs to acknowledge the real-ness of this fictional narrative.

Sharbendu De is a lens-based artist, academic and a writer. He taught photojournalism at AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia (2011–18) and presently teaches photography and visual communications at Sri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication, New Delhi, among several other institutions. He also writes on the subject alongside his art practice. In 2018, Feature Shoot recognised De as an Emerging Photographer of the Year. He also received grants from the India Foundation for the Arts (2017), Lucie Foundation (2018), Prince Claus Fund and ASEF (2019), MurthyNayak Foundation (2021) and KHOJ (2021).

^{(Featured Image: Installation view of An Elegy for Ecology at the Shrine Empire Gallery, Delhi. Image courtesy of Sharbendu De and Shrine Empire.)}

Streamed live on 21 December 2021. 

Acknowledgments: An Elegy for Ecology is made possible through generous support from PhotoSouthAsia, an initiative of the MurthyNAYAK Foundation and KHOJ International Artists’ Association under their project titled “Does the Blue Sky Lie? Testimonies of Air's Toxicities.” Several artworks were produced as part of a commission by the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Taiwan.

Disclaimer: No animals were hurt in the making of the series.

In case you missed the previous episodes of In Person, you can watch the most recent ones here, here, here, here and here.