‘Unparalleled Exposure’: Visitors Amazed At Andrei Stenin Int’l Photo Contest Exhibition in Delhi

The fifth edition of the Andrei Stenin Photo Contest Exhibition has received huge response on first day from the people of the city having rich arts and cultural heritage. Inaugurated by principal director general PIB Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society
(AIFACS) Gallery, which is only few meters away from parliament, people expressed their hope that more such competitions would be launched in India to appreciate and recognise the young talents.The weeklong exhibition, launched by Rossiya Segodnya under the aegis of the Russian Commission for UNESCO, will be concluded on 5 December.

 Dhatwalia has noted the growing interest of the Indian participants in the exhibition. It is worth mentioning that out of the total 6000 entries from 80 countries, four winning photojournalists– Santanu De, Ayanava Gil, Amit Moulick and Debarchan Chatterjee- are from India this year.

Stating the “modern photography fills us with serious concerns for the community of photographers,” Alexander Shtol, the Executive Director of the exhibition, announced that the “Grand Prix” award had been awarded to Italian photojournalist Gabriele Cecconi for his “The Wretched and the Land” series of photographs.

*Cultural Linkages Behind Strong Ties* 

Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to India Nikolay R. Kudashev said that the two countries have charted progressive development, “not only in quantitative terms but in qualitative terms as well”, of the special and privileged strategic partnership.

The ambassador mentioned the strong people to people connect and deep rooted cultural linkages behind growing ties between the two countries. As number of participants in the exhibition witnessed major jump this year, Kudashev termed it as reflection in the “popularity and attraction” of the photo contest in India.

 *Unparalleled Exposure* 

Ayanava Gil, whose photograph titled “Decisive Heading” showing Indians engaged in a game of water polo in the Ganges River, has won in sports category, said: “The kind of exposure that the Stenin contest has given us is unparalleled…The competition has helped us come up in the genre of photography.”

Santanu De, who studied photography on a scholarship in Bangladesh and secured third position in this year’s Andre Stenin contest for his series titled “Nostalgia on the Verge of Extinction” in the portrait category, said: “Competitions like Stenin help us photographers get due recognition at a global level. We do need more exhibitions and competitions like this one for photographers in India.”

The exhibition was started in the memory of Andrei Stenin, a photojournalist of Rossiya Segodnya who died while on assignment in Ukraine in 2014.