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Eckart Muthesius
The Maharaja’s Bedroom at Manik Bagh Palace, Indore with design pieces by Eileen Gray and Louis Sognot.
Circa 1933
Vintage gelatin silver print
23.3 x 29.5 cm
Preview 11 May
Somerset House, London
UNIT 7 / Prahlad Bubbar
Main Section – Stand W11
ECKART MUTHESIUS | SHUBHA TAPARIA
Prahlad Bubbar and UNIT 7 return to Photo London this year with a powerful group of works from two photographers that have made architecture the centrepoint for discussion about the man-made environment, as well as the transitional effect of light and colour on the texture and human dimension of buildings.
Eckart Muthesius the legendary German architect, designer, photographer of the interwar period whose magnum opus was the palace built for the Maharaja of Indore, Manik Bagh. He designed not only the building as an extension of its patron’s personality but also the furnishings and landscape that surrounded it. Through his masterful photographs we observe his sensitively tuned ‘modernist’ eye that created the very environment.
In 1935, Muthesius had his first photographic exhibition ‘Indien Im Lichtbild’ ‘India in the Photograph’ in Berlin. This special selection of Muthesius’ vintage photographs come from the estate of the artist and were displayed in the Musee des arts Decoratifs, Paris Exhibition in 2019. The selected images focus on the famous interiors of the palace filled with masterpieces of 20th century design.. After WWII he fell into oblivion.
Conceptual artist Shubha Taparia is an Indian-born artist and curator whose work in multiple mediums stands out for its ability to capture a changing urban environment and the imprint humans leave on their cities and buildings. In either medium-format photography of urban construction sites retouched with gold-leaf or in monochrome studies of the small details of large installation works, she brings a touch of revelation to the mechanical and solid environments that compose our daily lives. Her work has been featured in the RIBA Journal, and Architects Journal among others.
Close-up details of Taparia’s most recent installation, ‘Crescent’, a monumental work of steel scaffolding and geotextile membrane, at UNIT 7 bring us into contact with the delicate latticework that functions at the heart of every intricate construction.
Her medium-format work, where an image of a transitional urban construction site is brought into sharp focus by the application of a touch of gold leaf, revealing a glowing and timeless element. ‘Crescent’ 2021 was accompanied by a publication with contributions by Nicoletta Lambertucci, Matreyi Maheshwari and Prahlad Bubbar. In March 2022 she was shortlisted for the Gladstone Park public art commission.
Photo London 2022
Stand W11, West Wing
12–15 May 2022, at Somerset House
Strand, London WC2R 1LA
Preview Day:
Wednesday, 11 May, 12–9 pm
Public days:
Thursday, 12 May 12–9 pm
Friday, 13 & Saturday, 14 May, 12–7 pm
Sunday, 15 May, 12–6.30 pm
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