An exhibition of rare contemporary photographs from UK's Victoria and Albert Museum are being showcased at a city museum. The GUIDE offers up a picture essay of the most intriguing photos on display and the stories behind each of them

Untitled (Harz Germany) by Albert Cross (2004)
Keen train-spotter-turned-artist Andrew Cross travels widely in the USA and Europe documenting freight routes as a kind of meditation about where transport links go and what cargo is carried on them.

The photographs are part of a collection of over 5 lakh images from the Victoria and Albert Museum's (V&A) permanent photography collection, acquired over two decades.u00a0

Plum from the Face series by Huang Yan (2004)
Huang Yan has painted the face of a model with images of plants closely associated with Chinese culture. These flowers are chosen to embody the literati's spirit ufffd a reference to Chinese scholars who believed in the oneness of man and nature.

Interestingly, this Mumbai-based museum was originally called the Victoria and Albert Museum (from 1872 to 1975), until it was renamed after social reformer Dr Bhau Daji Lad, who pioneered the establishment.

Per Pulverem Ad Astra 3.2 by Eva Stenram (2006/ 2007)
Stenram has spliced together NASA-generated images from Mars downloaded from the Internet. She converted these images to 35 mm negatives and left them lying around to gather dust. The result is a group of images where dust particles resemble clouds or explosions.

"Through the exhibition, we are offering people a golden opportunity to engage with contemporary ideas, art and culture from different places," said Tasneem Zakaria Mehta, managing trustee and honorary director, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum.

Untitled by Hellen van Meene (1996)
Hellen van Meene is known for her portraits, especially those of young girls, reflecting on the awkward beauty of childhood and the self-consciousness of adolescence. All her photographs use available light without flash, lamps or artificial reflection.

The name of the exhibition is derived from the idea that photography freezes time and place, making us realise how fleeting time is. As Martin Barnes, senior curator at the V&A Museum, states in the brochure, "One of photography's most compelling aspects is its capacity to tangle fact with fiction. What I perceive through my eyes cannot be the same as what is registered in the camera. In this way, photographs allow me the opportunity to observe 'something that I'll never see'."

Till January 9, 10 am to 5.30 pm
At Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum, Rani Bagh, 91/A, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Road, Byculla (East).
Call 23731234

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