Arko Datto
Sunday, January 23, 2022 8:00 pm PST
Via Zoom
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Arko Datto was studying for a doctorate in theoretical sciences in 2010 when he changed course to photography, spurred on by his involvement documenting political protests in the streets of Paris. In 2013 he studied photography at the Danish School of Journalism and he has since built a body of work focused on the politics of representation in the Indian subcontinent with a distinctive sense for color and the magic of night photography.
Datto has exhibited his work and curated extensively in his home country of India and internationally, including projects in Malaysia, Germany, Cambodia, and France. His intimate view of contemporary Indian culture and communal life that became the series/book PikNik, documented five winter seasons of picnic spots across eastern India and was shortlisted for the Arles COSMOS 2017. From 2014 - 2020 he created a trilogy of interrelated projects, focused on the nighttime, nightlife and night space of contemporary street life in India, Bangladesh (Greenpeace PhotoAward 2018), Malaysia, and Indonesia. His dynamic imagery skirts the boundaries of documentary, melding ambiguity, political commentary, and a spectacle of spontaneous humanity.
In his series Rail Diwali (currently on view at the SFO Museum, Terminal 3), Arko Datto explores how Diwali, an annual Hindu festival of lights, is celebrated in some of the most underprivileged and heavily populated areas of Kolkata. Nearly a third of the population lives in areas of informal housing, many of which are located on the borders of and in complicated relationship to the railways. Datto’s photographs approach histories of colonialism, migration, and poverty through a filter of colorful lights and the celebratory atmosphere. Drenched in the saturated colors of the festival, the artist draws focus on a distinct sense of community, belonging, and strength despite the adversities facing many of the celebrants.
Courtesy of Arko Datto and East Wing, Doha.
About Arko Datto
Arko Datto (b. 1986, India) is a Kolkata-based artist, curator, and educator. His work has been exhibited globally at venues including the Museum für Angewandte Kunst in Frankfurt, Galleri Image, Unseen Amsterdam, and Photo London, among others. His photographs have been featured by publications including Foam Magazine, American SuburbX, National Geographic, WIRED, and Financial Times. Datto has been an artist in residence at programs including Light Work in Syracuse; the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France; Docking Station in Amsterdam; and Rimbun Dahan in Penang, Malaysia. He is represented by East Wing, Doha.
Arko Datto’s Rail Diwali is on view at SFO Museum (Terminal 3, Departures - Level 2) from Oct 22, 2021 - May 12, 2022.
About Arko Datto’s Publications
What News of The Snake That Lost Its Heart in The Fire
by Arko Datto
Published by L'Artiere, 2021.
HERE TO ORDER
What News of The Snake That Lost Its Heart in The Fire
Will My Mannequin Be Home When I Return?
by Arko Datto
Published by L'Artiere, 2018.
HERE TO ORDER
Will My Mannequin Be Home When I Return?
SFO Museum, a division of San Francisco International Airport, is a cultural organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum is a multifaceted program with rotating exhibitions on a wide variety of subjects and interactive play areas featured throughout the terminals. The San Francisco Airport Commission Aviation Library and Louis A. Turpen Aviation Museum, a distinct museum, library, and archives dedicated to the history of commercial aviation, is located in the International Terminal with exhibitions, research services, and educational programs provided to the public free of charge.