Frame after frame of stories – some constructed with delicate care, some captured with a sense of spontaneity and others teetering in a careful balance of both – spark to life inside Chennai’s VR Mall as the second edition of the International Photography Open Call showcase kicked off on Sunday, March 15.
Organised by the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation and powered by SIGMA, over 9400 entries were submitted across the single image and photo series categories from 37 countries spanning Singapore, Netherlands, the USA, Bangladesh, Maldives, Germany, Italy, Pakistan and more.
From the vast submissions, over 100 photographers were selected by an international jury with a total of 80+ print and digital photographs on display at the exhibit.
Vibrant layers of colours bleed away to stark black-and-white images while intricate conceptual pieces juxtapose raw moments daily of life as we walk past each narrative-laden walls of the display ; with each frame telling a story that gives us pause.
One visitor Shankar, a hobby photographer, was coincidently drawn to the exhibit on a shopping trip with family. With his passion put on the back burner over the past few decades as the rush of life took over, this exhibit is one that seems to reignite his excitement for visual storytelling again.
Pausing to take in every photograph, Shankar notes how different people have different visions and approaches to their craft, lauding the participants creativity in trying out new concepts.
He points out the spontaneity involved in the process, saying “Looking at some of these reminds me of how you have to always have your camera in hand to capture something you see.”
Pointing out Komal Tarte’s frame of two women holding hands with warmth, “There’s something intimate about it and the vision of balancing the young and old in the shot. There’s also something about that one and few others where it’s so natural – it’s happened and you’ve just clicked it.”
Reflecting on how sometimes these unplanned moments make for winning frames, he thinks back to a submission of his own to an exhibit several years ago, recalling, “I saw a church and a mosque behind it through the window of a place I was staying at, and took the photo through the glass panes. It was blurry and not technically perfect, but I was adjudged a winner probably because the vision behind it was caught the jury’s eye.”
Such magical moments are rare yet always result in something that beckons reflection. Take for example, exhibitor Balaji Natarajan’s photograph clicked in the serene coastal settings of Manapad – known for its rocky beach shores and and historic Catholic churches – was an unplanned shot of brilliance.
Having begun his photographic journey during the lockdown period driven purely by curiosity for the craft, Balaji, who works in digital marketing, has honed his talents with the camera for the last four years and submitted to CPB‘s showcase for the first time – with his selected picture clicked in 2025 feeling like a culmination of both his curiosity and dedication.
Speaking of the photograph, he says, “Though I’ve visited Kulasekarapattinam many times to document festivals there, I never visited Manapad, which is nearby. Last year, I happened to go there and I only took two photos ; it was just magical and unexpected that I caught this image.”
Another image featuring birds flashes intermittently across a digital display with an alluring touch of tenderness to it. Santosh S, who received an honourable mention for his submission, dives into the story behind the photograph, saying, ” I’d actually been observing these two crows in the picture for a few months. One of them had an injured wing and the other one would regularly sit by it, seemingly having a conversation and finding food for the injured one.”
Through his journey from a sixth grader who snapped a picture of a winding road on his father’s Nokia phone to an avid photographer who finds peace – from his job as a piping designer – in capturing the purity of the world and its being through his lens, Santosh describes his style as one that goes with the flow.
Whether in Balaji’s encapsulation of an unexpected play of shadows or in Santosh’s observational yet unhurried approach, powerful stories unfurl across diverse themes at the exhibit.
And in this age of editing and AI, Shankar adds how the sheer display of talent – naturally gifted, carefully honed, passionately pursued – from the various exhibitors and the vivid, heartfelt stories from around the globe converging into a single space of photographic excellence makes the CPB International Open Call – Edition 2 stand out.
The exhibit at VR Chennai is a a single-image showcase and part one of a two-part series, with the second part being a photo series showcase opening on 19 March at Avtar Foundation for the Arts, MRC Nagar.
Refreshing, reflective and the kind of exhibit that calls upon you to ruminate upon each frame, make sure to stop by both exhibitions – at VR Mall and Avtar Foundation – for a blend of intrigue and immersion.
Both exhibits will be held till 5 April and are free of cost. So, take a moment and let the frames guide you through a world of enthralling visual stories.
(Images courtesy of Malvika Padin)
Planning to visit the CPB International Open Call – Edition 2 ? Check out Lyrical Muse for more cultural exhibits around the world.
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