Suresh PUNJABI
Suresh Punjabi (1957– ) was born in Indore, India. He had his first portrait taken at age 11 and was transfixed by both the process and its result. Punjabi had informal photography lessons and bought his first professional camera at age 14. As a teenager he travelled across Indore and other parts of Madhya Pradesh to take images and learn the trade. Since 1975 Punjabi has lived and worked in Nagda, Madhya Pradesh where he opened his own studio, Suhag Studio in the late 1970s. Punjabi is particularly known for his studio portraits from the 1970s and 1980s, and he continues to operate his award-winning studio, focusing on weddings and special occasions. He also develops film and prints his own images. Punjabi continues to take his camera outdoors too – creating a vivid sense of the unique time, place and community of which he is a part.
Images: Suresh PUNJABI
Untitled (Two men with a transistor radio), Suhag Studio, Nagda, Madhya Pradesh 1983
Untitled (Portrait of a man holding a bird), Suhag Studio, Nagda, Madhya Pradesh 1987
pigment ink-jet prints
33.0 x 33.0 cm (each)
courtesy of the artist and Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) (Bengaluru)
Images: Installation views of Visions of India: for the colonial to the contemporary featuring artworks by Suresh Punjabi, Monash Gallery of Art, 2021 Photo: Lauren Dunn
This short film details the personal and professional development of photographer Suresh Punjabi and his business, Studio Suhag, told to us through his own images and words.
Video: Suresh Punjabi's Suhag Studio: the business of dreams
9 minutes; 39 seconds
Film commissioned by the Museum of Art And Photography (MAP)
Writing and direction by Naveed Mulki
Cinematography, direction and edit by Shaktiraj Singh Jadeja
Assistant direction by Pankaj Singh
Camera assistance by Puttaswamy K Gowda
Narrative edited by Jan Russell
Translation by Disha Kathuria
A film by Faraway Originals
courtesy of the artist and Museum of Art & Photography (MAP) (Bengaluru)
Click to view the online exhibition Suresh Punjabi: The business of dreams from MAP