Mr Malhotra ki gay party

Photogs Sunil Gupta and Anna Fox capture the essence of a homosexual life of pride, style and dignity, from New Delhi to Hampshire


Portrait not straight: The real-life subject depict everyday life in
motion, and how theirs is no different from that of the heterosexual
part of the human population

Gay sex is criminal no more. Gay art never was. The good news, however, is that more and more real faces are showing up as muses in place of fictitious, fantasy-ful ones.u00a0 Artists don't have to seek refuge in imagination to depict reality anymore. The latest exhibitsu00a0in Vadehra Art Gallery stand testimony. World-famous photographer Sunil Gupta and her classmate at Farnham Art School, UKu00a0-- Anna Foxu00a0-- have put up camera works that show how the LGBT family is fast opening up, thanks to the court's positive ruling.

The game behind the name
The show has two parts -- Mr Malhotra by Sunil, and the other by Anna Fox. But why Mr Malhotra? "Most of the gay parties are privately hosted. If it's happening at an Aggarwal's house, it's called Mr Aggarwal, but since Malhotra sounds closer to Delhi, I called it Mr Malhotra," explains Sunil.u00a0 The exhibition captures the pulse of different-ly oriented people in their daily life -- how they walk, wait, cross the roads and go on picnics. "Our lives are as normal as yours. And now that even the judiciary understands that, the LGBT community is living a superior life that's full of confidence and pride. That's what theu00a0 pictures tell you," adds thelensman, whose efforts towards homosexual causes have been highly appreciated the world over. However, all the pictures, most of which are portraits, are not very recent and have been shot over years. It is only now that they are breathing free.

Fox studios
The other contemporary photographer, Anna Fox, whose works in this subject are rarely seen, is exhibiting three of her series -- Zwarte Piet, Country Girls and Back to the Village. The first set is a modern take on the historical character Black Pete, the servant of Saint Nicholas.
The next project is a collaboration with singer-songwriter Alison Goldfrapp. The last part explores the masked rituals that go on in a small village in Hampshire, where Anna lives currently. All her pieces question the bias and dilemmas related to the non-heterosexual community, gender and identity.
Face it, face up.