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Photographer shows rare images of India
Published Apr 2013 in Daily Commercial by Theresa Campbell | Staff Writer



A fine art photography collection called “Sutra” opens Friday night at the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, featuring rare and often unseen images and perspectives of urban India captured the camera of Yatin Patel.

The Orlando resident who spent 15 years working as an internet/e-commerce entrepreneur, relished being able to focus time on his passion for photography. He went back to Ahmedabad, India and documented everyday life in his native homeland.

“Sutra” has ancient Sanskrit Indo-Aryan origins, the photographer said of the language from 1500 AD, which translates to mean “a thread or line that holds elements together.”

Patel strives to show the coexistence in his works of the architecture, humanity and surroundings, ranging from ancient to contemporary. He noted that each scene brings an intimate, richly detailed reflection of these threads that define lives and cultures.

“What fascinates me is how, after thousands of years, the original environment and its habitants have organically evolved in time to find a delicate balance between tradition and modernism, without compromise,” Patel said in a statement. “My work seeks to document this astonishing harmonious paradox. It is the spatial and intimate interconnection between architecture and mankind which matters to me.”

Patel enjoyed using photography and his free-spirited shooting style to capture rare sights and then enhanced the images with custom inks and special hand-crafted paper canvases.

He selected master printmaker Jon Cone to bring “Sutra” to fruition. Cone created the methodology to used to produce Patel’s prints, which included 12 custom-made inks and handmade Japanese kozo paper to bring a translucent, warm and textured look to the images.

Beth Miller, co-chair of the Mount Dora Center for the Arts, marvels over Patel’s photographs and the textural details in the printing process. She believes art center visitors will be just as impressed by the exhibit.

“He does amazingly beautiful urban landscapes of India and with the texture, the light and the feeling that he gets in the photos through his printing process, it’s beautiful,” Miller said.

She recalled being “instantly impressed” when she saw a portfolio of Patel’s works.

“The subject matter and the way that he presents it, you can feel the emotion in the photos, there is an emotional connection to the work,” Miller said.

“Sutra “ premiered in 2011 as a platform that was created to inspire society to embrace art, culture and charitable giving. The exhibit has already raised awareness and substantial funds for a multitude of groups including: Boy Scouts of America, The Annika Foundation, Kerosene Lamp Foundation, March of Dimes Florida Hospital for Children.

“Sutra” will be exhibited at the Mount Dora Center of the Arts through June 7.