{"id":2252,"date":"2025-04-04T06:03:22","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T06:03:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indiasothebysrealty.blog\/?p=2252"},"modified":"2025-05-06T14:58:30","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T09:28:30","slug":"the-art-of-storytelling-through-bharat-sikkas-lens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/2025\/04\/04\/the-art-of-storytelling-through-bharat-sikkas-lens\/","title":{"rendered":"The Art of Storytelling Through Bharat Sikka’s Lens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Where
Where The Flowers Still Grow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With a unique perspective and a lens, visionary photographer Bharat Sikka can bring the most mundane scenes to life. From capturing the nuances of Indian middle-class life to thriving in the global arena, Sikka has carved a unique niche for himself.<\/em>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Bharat Sikka\u2019s lens traverses the soul of his subjects, revealing the intricate layers of identity, culture and modernity. In this exclusive interview, Sikka opens up about his artistic journey and the inspirations behind his most compelling projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bharat
Bharat Sikka<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How has your background in fashion and advertising influenced your approach to fine art photography?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before I went to Parsons, I was working with Prabuddha Dasgupta and that helped me pay my tuition at college.
I’m now 52 years old. I think I started photography when I was pretty young, around 20. I was interested in fashion for a little bit, which drew my attention to fashion photography. I was working with the ace designer Rohit Bal. One day he just asked me to take some pictures for him. And on seeing them, he said, \u201cThere is something when you take your pictures that is really special and you should think about this line of work.
I wanted to attend Parsons School of Design, feeling that I was missing something and needed to study it. Returning from New York, I was keen to start afresh in India, focusing more on fine art and photography, a passion nurtured by my college experience. This was something I genuinely wanted to pursue.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The Sapper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Your photography often captures intimate moments and emotions. What draws you to this style of storytelling?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My father, who served in the Indian army, was posted in various locations, allowing us to travel with him. Though my parents were married, they were never together; he had a girlfriend in Kuala Lumpur, and my mom had someone else in Delhi. Despite this, my father was always there for us, and I cherished the time spent with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming from a middle-class family and living alone in New York, I began looking through the lens and realised that no one was focusing on people like my father and uncle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Indian
Indian Men<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My first project, begun in my sophomore year of college, was titled ‘Indian Men’. This theme has remained relevant throughout my work, as I continue to present India from a unique perspective. Another project, ‘Space in Between’, involved capturing Gurgaon during the rise of high-rise buildings, highlighting the stark dichotomy of the changing landscape. We had mobile phones but no roads, and a metro but no reliable electricity. While not political, my work captured the social fabric of the country in many ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also worked on a project called ‘Where the Flowers Still Grow,’ a poetic and melancholic portrait of Kashmir. While politics is inextricable from any point in Kashmir, my intention again, was apolitical. Instead, I aimed to capture the melancholic and sad beauty of the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another deeply personal project was ‘The Road to Salvador Do Mundo,’ a fairy tale book for my daughter about our homes. My wife was pregnant, and we had just bought a house in Goa. Life there was unique; a man on a bicycle would deliver Pohi, and the bus would stop right in front of our house. The book depicts a small village and how city dwellers transformed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Coming
Coming Through In Waves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Behind
Behind Blue Eyes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In an age dominated by digital photography, what draws you to shooting on film? How does it influence your creative process?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My fourth project, ‘Matter,’ was akin to a digital diary and marked my first use of a digital camera. The intention was to explore a new world, moving away from conventional film. I documented my life, from my house to my office and everywhere I went. While the project wasn’t a success, it allowed me to experiment and served as a bridge between my old and new work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\"Indian
Indian Men<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Through his lens, Sikka invites viewers to explore the nuances of life, prompting a deeper understanding of the diverse world we inhabit.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\""I
“I had to be shameless otherwise the world would have eaten me”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Looking forward, what new projects or themes are you excited to explore?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I always strive to evolve in different ways, extending my photography into film, sculpture, and collages, exploring realms far beyond the traditional medium. Photography is just a language I understand deeply, but I can expand it into countless other forms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such ongoing project is based on Chandni Chowk, which I plan to turn into a Record LP, incorporating sound and insulation recordings from the area. This extensive project, like many others, has been part of my life for fifteen to twenty years, gradually unfolding over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also publish a photography magazine called Neither<\/em>, where I’ve invited fifteen Indian and international artists to collaborate and engage in dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With a unique perspective and a lens, visionary photographer Bharat Sikka can bring the most mundane scenes to life. From capturing the nuances of Indian middle-class life to thriving in the global arena, Sikka has carved a unique niche for himself. With a keen eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, Bharat Sikka\u2019s lens […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":139472372,"featured_media":2253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[1047,2173],"tags":[2190,2174,2192,1007,2178,2188,2187,2176,2185,2175,2186,2184,2179,2189,2191,2177,2181,2182,2180],"class_list":["post-2252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-and-art","category-photography","tag-artistic-journey","tag-bharat-sikka","tag-contemporary-photography","tag-creative-process","tag-culture","tag-digital-photography","tag-film-photography","tag-fine-art-photography","tag-indian-men","tag-indian-photographers","tag-kashmir-photography","tag-melancholy-in-art","tag-modernity","tag-photography-as-art","tag-photography-inspiration","tag-portrait-photography","tag-rural-life","tag-storytelling-through-photography","tag-urban-landscapes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/B0031454.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9WkJQ-Ak","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/139472372"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2252"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2629,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2252\/revisions\/2629"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sothebysrealty.com\/india\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}