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Photographer, author and American historian of Indian art, Stephen Huyler’s frequent visits to India have resulted in numerous books and a new photo exhibition, writes
Shobita Shivshankar HE says he first had a vision of India 40 years ago. As an 18-year-old he sought the advice of an elderly uncle on what career he should take up. He was told to study and explore India. "Even as a teenager I had been reading about India. When my uncle told me to make it my mission of life, I couldn’t stop seeing visions in my dreams," says 58-year-old Stephen P. Huyler, now a well established American historian of Indian art, photographer, author and anthropologist, who has spent four decades exploring the subcontinent in general, and India, in particular.
Huyler’s peregrinations have resulted in several books, including Painted Prayers—Women’s Art in Village India; Gifts of Earth—Terracotta and Clay Structures in India; Mud Mirror and Folk Traditions of Rural India; Meeting God—Elements of Hindu Devotion and several more. Huyler’s photographic exhibitions on Indian art and religiosity have now a passionate following around the world. His recent mix-media exhibition based on his book titled Sonabai—Another Way of Seeing was on display for well over a year at the Mingei International`A0Museum in San Deigo, USA. The exhibition revolved around the life of Sonabai, a woman of Puhputra in Chhatisgarh, who was confined to her home by her husband. In a bid to keep herself busy in her lonely confines, she began sculpting the walls of her home with colourful and whimsical art. Today, her sculptures are recogonised as a new form of art and she’s been honoured with numerous state awards. Huyler populated his exhibition with innovative photomontages and films of Sonabai and her art with fragile sculptures brought from her village. Another one of his earlier exhibitions titled Puja: Expressions of Hindu Devotion, opened to rave reviews in Washington’s Smithsonian Gallery. Working with museum staff, he created a series of shrines in the Smithsonian Gallery to display the images as they were originally intended to be seen, rather than exhibiting them purely as art objects. The exhibition received many prestigious awards. A part of the show has been mounted permanently at the gallery. Huyler’s photographic sweep is vast. His pictures are spontaneous and noninvasive in the sense they have been clicked without disturbing the serenity of the moment. From a taxi driver worshipping Goddess Kali by lighting an incense stick, to a woman creating the image of Goddess Lakshmi outside her shanty home, each picture captures the essence of Hinduism. "For the past many years I have visited India several times and travelled widely. My books and the exhibitions are a result of my travels across the country," says Huyler. In fact, an exhibition based on his fourth book, Meeting God: Elements of Devotion In India, travelled to India and eloquently showcase sacred rituals of Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Malayalis, Parsis and other communities of India. This is primarily a picture book of Huyler’s camera impressions of devotional India. Published by Yale University Press, the book photographically catalogues various facets of Hindusim. "Prayers are all-pervasive in India, influencing every moment of the day," writes Huyler in the preface of his book. Does he intend doing
more research on India? Yes, he says emphatically. "And in any
case, every time I want to meet God, I’ll come back to India!" —
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