Open Books by Max Pinckers

Open Books is Max Pinckers’ first solo exhibition in Mumbai and marks the revival of the Dilip Piramal Gallery’s photographic legacy at the NCPA.

Open Books brings together an overview of artist Max Pinckers’ practice with a focus on his self-publishing career. By enlarging reproductions of the books, this exhibition explores how images embody meaning within and outside the context of a publication. For Pinckers, the book is the artwork—the final form in which he conceives and presents his work—and the reason he became dedicated to publishing and distributing himself, working closely with his partner Victoria Gonzalez-Figueras and their team. Pinckers’ books are central to understanding his artistic process. Departing from questioning photography’s visual conventions, Pinckers has developed a “speculative documentary” approach, in which he questions societal and political issues through and with images, brought together in books that entwine performativity, theatricality and collaboration with the documentary gesture.

In his talk, Between the Page and the Wall, on the 19th, Bengaluru-based artist Philippe Calia will explore the relationship between the book and the exhibition forms in photographic practices. He will be delving into his own artistic journey amongst others and focus on the Ajaib Ghar Archive, a project exhibited as part of the Discovery Award in 2023 and supported by Photosouthasia.

Guided exhibition walkthroughs on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th at 12 noon.

Entry free.