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Alkazi Foundation for the Arts

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Alkazi Foundation for the Arts

The Alkazi Foundation for the arts is a registered charitable trust based in New Delhi. It is primar For more information: www.acparchives.com
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The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts is a registered charitable trust, dedicated to the preservation of the cultural history of India through extensive research on photography. Housed in the foundation is the private collection of Ebrahim Alkazi, known as the Alkazi Collection of Photography, which comprises works in the form of photographic albums, single prints, paper negatives and glass-plate neg

atives, painted photographs, and photo-postcards. The collection is particularly strong in areas such as archaeology, architectural history, the urban development of colonial cities, military studies, anthropological studies and topography.

21/08/2026

ALKAZI PHOTOBOOK GRANT 2026
AMAN ALAM
Runner-up

Photobook: 𝘖𝘻𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘴

𝘖𝘻𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘴 is ’s affective tribute to his grandmother Naseem, drawing upon Percy Bysshe Shelley’s 1818 sonnet. Through chaptered sequences, Alam captures some of the final years he spends with her as caregiver – at home, in hospital, and at family gatherings – supplemented by archival records, documents and X-rays. As a school principal in 1970s Agra, her adroit independence and self-reliance now transform; time and life take on a fluid, ephemeral quality. The publication manoeuvres between states of mind and being, moving between past and present, and sharing the challenges and anxieties brought on by Alzheimer’s disease. The images in the book present a portrait of personal struggle and love, dignity and fragility.

Aman Alam is a lens-based visual artist living and working between Bengaluru and Kolkata, with a focus on researching the Anthropocene and the human condition. His practice uses photography, technology, sculpture and installations to examine industrial, ecological, cultural and existential power-systems. Alam has been nominated for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award in 2024 and 2026. He is a recipient of the Serendipity Arles Grant (2025–2026). Works from 𝘖𝘻𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘴—including photographs, a conceptual installation and a dummy book—are currently on view in Arles, France, as part of his ongoing solo show at Les Rencontres d’Arles (6 July–4 October 2026).

On behalf of the Alkazi Foundation, we would like to thank Aman Alam and all the participants for their submissions, dedicated time and commitment, and we look forward to receiving further proposals for our future grants.

.kaamnapatel

20/08/2026

ALKAZI PHOTOBOOK GRANT 2026
SWASTIK PAL
Runner-up

Photobook: 𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺

𝘛𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 emerged from ’s profound connection with nature after his first monsoon visit to the Sundarbans in 2014. His photographs of the delta capture the fluid interplay between land and river, while his immersion among island residents reveals the complexities of an ecosystem strained by environmental devastation, territorial divides, and calamities that test the relationships between the forces of man and nature. The project also traces his experiences amid floodwaters and mangroves, shaping his documentary approach to land. It transforms into a call for awareness and action while capturing the evolving customs and routines mandated by climate change.

Swastik Pal is a visual artist based in Kolkata, India, working with photography and video to explore his interest in the complex interrelation between humans and the environment. He was commissioned by Newcastle University in 2021 to investigate the role of global climate change in altering delta cultures. His work has been published in 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘵 𝘜𝘒, 𝘉𝘉𝘊 and the 𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘛𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, and was recently shown at Les Rencontres d’Arles. In 2025, Pal received the MurthyNayak Foundation Scholarship at the International Centre of Photography in New York.

On behalf of the Alkazi Foundation, we would like to thank Swastik Pal and all the participants for their submissions, dedicated time and commitment, and we look forward to receiving further proposals for our future grants.

.kaamnapatel

19/08/2026

On the occasion of World Photography Day, the Charles Wallace India Trust (CWIT), the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), and the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts (AFA) are delighted to share the essay by the 2025 Curatorial Research Fellowship Awardee, .

In this essay, Praful shares excerpts from his research conducted at the V&A South Kensington’s Photography Department from April to October 2025. He examines the history of photography in the Indian subcontinent through a close reading of works by Francis Frith & Co. and other colonial-era photographers like F.J. Mortimer, Robert Howlett, and B.B. Turner, who captured the ocean. Praful also examines landmark albums such as 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯 (1857) and 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘢 (1930s) as the essay analyses compositional patterns and comparative literary narratives by drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks – from Michel Foucault’s concept of the ship as heterotopia to Nidhi Mahajan’s argument that such symbols unite past, present, and future.

We would like to extend our gratitude to all the eminent jury members – Pradeep Dalal (Director, Andy Warhol Foundation Arts Writers Grant), Latika Gupta (Director, Sher-Gil Sundaram Arts Foundation) and Dr Duncan Forbes (Head of Photography, V&A) for their time and expertise.

Head to the link in bio to read the essay!

Victoria and Albert Museum Latika Gupta Mallika Visvanathan

17/08/2026

EXTENDED OUTREACH

We are delighted to share details of 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴: 𝘙𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘪𝘤 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴, an upcoming talk by Rahaab Allana (Curator, Alkazi Foundation) in conversation with Dr Giles Tillotson, on the occasion of World Photography Day.

📅 Wednesday, 19 August 2026
🕚 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Sileh Khana, City Palace, Jaipur

Photography was born from the ability to fix images onto stable surfaces. Yet the social and cultural life it captured during the colonial era was far from stable, and the voices of those photographed were often unheard.

This talk examines how contemporary practitioners engage with archival images to complicate photographic histories and legacies, reclaiming encrypted narratives and proposing a more autonomous tradition of photography in the subcontinent.

Register now via link in bio!

Image: [detail] Arun, ‘Untitled’, Gum Oil Print, 2022, 381 x 584 mm, Rahaab Allana Collection

City Palace Museum, Jaipur

13/08/2026

We are pleased to share highlights from the second day of 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘏𝘺𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, where conversations explored the many ways images shape, preserve, and challenge our understanding of history.

The programme opened with 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴, bringing together Nandan Ghiya, Ranjit Hoskote, and Sheelasha Rajbhandari, moderated by Adwait Singh, to reflect on archives, inherited histories, and artistic strategies for recovering voices often left out of dominant narratives.

These questions continued through 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, where Arko Datto and Indu Antony, in conversation with Brendan Embser, examined the shifting boundaries between photographic evidence, fiction, memory, and truth.

The afternoon turned to collective image-making and contemporary visual cultures. 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, featuring Monteiro-Jayasankar, Duncan Forbes, and , explored community archives and radical filmmaking as tools of representation and resistance, while 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 brought together Afrah Shafiq, Pascal Beausse and Rahee Punyashloka, moderated by , to discuss artificial intelligence, digital image cultures, and the evolving infrastructures of photography.

The symposium concluded with yumna in conversation with Per Gylfe, presenting 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘞𝘢𝘳 𝘔𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 (2015–ongoing), an interactive work that invited audiences to reflect on memory, conflict, and photography’s enduring role in shaping history.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to these enriching conversations.

Swipe through to revisit the day’s highlights.

11/08/2026

We are excited to share highlights from the opening day of 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘏𝘺𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, which brought together artists, curators, writers, and scholars to explore the politics of images, archives, and representation.

The afternoon began with Rasha Salti's keynote, 𝘓𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘞𝘢𝘺: 𝘈 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘈𝘤𝘵𝘴, reflecting on visual culture, digital technologies, and the politics of seeing in an age of image saturation.

The opening panel, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘦, featuring Jiwon Lee, Laura El-Tantawy لورا الطنطاوى, and Naeem Mohaiemen moderated by Rashmi Devi Sawhney, examined visibility and absence, photography and political history, and the stories that remain beyond the frame.

The day concluded with in conversation with .ragavan, exploring photography, publishing, and archives surrounding the Iranian Revolution through 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘣 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘵: 𝘈 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘉𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴: 𝘐𝘳𝘢𝘯 1979–1983.

Swipe through to catch some moments from Day 1 and stay tuned as we continue sharing highlights from Day 2 of the symposium.

07/08/2026

We are delighted to share glimpses from 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮, a special talk by Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), London, held at the British Council, New Delhi, on 30 July 2026.

Presented as a prologue to the bicentennial symposium 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘏𝘺𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, the evening marked Duncan Forbes' first public presentation in India. Drawing on recent groundbreaking displays, new commissions, and the V&A's renowned photography collection, he reflected on the evolving role of museums and photographic collections in engaging with questions of representation, nationalism, resistance, indigenous epistemologies, and the cultural narratives of our time.

The talk was followed by a conversation with Rahaab Allana, Curator/Publisher, Alkazi Foundation.

We are grateful to everyone who joined us for this event.

British Council India britisharts Victoria and Albert Museum India Art Fair Offset Projects Ashish Sahoo

03/08/2026

EXTENDED OUTREACH

We are delighted to share details of ‘Beginnings & Endings: On home, belonging and the stories we carry’, a talk by Laura El-Tantawy, organised by NID (Photography Design) in partnership with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts and the British Council.

Monday, 3 August 2026
4:00 PM
Auditorium, NID, Gandhinagar

In this talk, Laura El-Tantawy will reflect on how stories begin and how they end, and what lives in the space between. Drawing from key bodies of work across her practice, including her ongoing series on farming and the natural environment, exploring photography as an act of witnessing, return and belonging. Moving between the personal and the political, the talk considers ideas of home, memory and place as central forces shaping her long-term documentary storytelling.

Laura El-Tantawy is an award- winning British/Egyptian documentary photographer, author, bookmaker and educator whose work explores memory, identity, belonging and place through long-form visual storytelling. Working across photography, publishing and multimedia, she creates immersive narratives shaped by a transnational life lived between Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK. She is the author of six critically acclaimed monographs, including In the Shadow of the Pyramids, Beyond Here Is Nothing, A Star in the Sea and Pang’ono Pang’ono.

Her work has been exhibited internationally and published in The New Yorker, TIME, Le Monde, The Financial Times and National Geographic. She is the recipient of the W. Eugene Smith Memorial Fund Grant, Prix Virginia, Prix Roger Pic and the PHMuseum Women Photographers Grant, and is the founder of PLATFORM 2020.

Laura El-Tantawy لورا الطنطاوى NID Photography Design British Council India

ContemporaryPhotography NID PhotographyDesign BritishCouncil Gandhinagar ArtTalk PublicProgramme

29/07/2026

TOMORROW | Special Talk

𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮
Thursday, 30 July, 2026
6:30 PM onwards
British Council, New Delhi

“You don’t begin at the beginning and end at the end. You find more disjointed ways of telling the story.” — Duncan Forbes

In this short video clip, Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography at the V&A, reflects on how museums can tell photographic histories in new and unexpected ways.

Join us tomorrow for an insightful conversation with Forbes as he explores the recent groundbreaking displays and new commissions shaping the department’s future. Discover how these initiatives may inform new policies and deepen the collection’s engagement with the cultural narratives of our time.

Presented by the British Council and the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts as a prologue to the bicentennial symposium 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘏𝘺𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, the talk will be followed by a conversation with Rahaab Allana, Curator/Publisher, The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts.
Please join us for a light reception after the programme.

RSVP for the talk via the link in bio!

27/07/2026

Special Talk | 𝘌𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦: 𝘙𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘺 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘶𝘮
Thursday, 30 July 2026
6:30 PM onwards
British Council, New Delhi

In 1852, the South Kensington Museum (later V&A), London, became one of the first museums to acquire photographs for its collections and its inaugural photography exhibition took place in 1858. From shadows to spotlight, Charles Thurston Thompson’s 1858 image of an exhibition of the Photographic Society of London and the Société française de photographie – 1,000+ prints crowding the walls—captures the moment photographs transitioned from erasure to exposure. A medium once regarded as document alone, now demanded to be seen as works of art.

As a prologue to the bicentennial symposium, 𝘐𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥𝘴: 𝘏𝘺𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘺, at IIC, New Delhi, the British Council and the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts invite you to a special talk by Duncan Forbes, Head of Photography at the V&A.

In his first public presentation in India, Forbes explores recent ground-breaking displays and
new commissions that are shaping the department’s future. Join us to discover how these
initiatives may inform new policies and deepen the collection’s engagement with the cultural narratives of our time.

The talk will be followed by a discussion with Rahaab Allana, Curator/Publisher, The Alkazi Foundation for the Arts. Please join us for a light reception after the programme.

RSVP for the talk via the link in bio!

Slide 1: [Detail] Charles Thurston Thompson, Exhibition of the Photographic Society of London and the Société française de photographie at the South Kensington Museum, 1858 © Victoria and Albert Museum

British Council India britisharts Victoria and Albert Museum India Art Fair Offset Projects Ashish Sahoo

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Tuesday	10am - 6pm
Wednesday	10am - 6pm
Thursday	10am - 6pm
Friday	10am - 6pm

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