Segments of images come together to create a unified visual story in Shankar S’ exhibition Juxt-a-scapes

As dusk settles over the Alliance Francaise de Chandigarh courtyard, warm lights flicker on, illuminating a carefully curated exhibition of digital photomontages.

The evening air hums with quiet chatter as students, local artists and visitors gather to witness a brand new visual storytelling experience. Here, the traditional norms of photography are stretched, blended and broken—moments are layered and spliced together to reflect emotions that are fragmented, and stories unfold in pieces rather than a single shot.

Juxt-a-scapes is a tapestry of harmonising perspectives and emotions, where segments of images come together to create a unified visual story, expressing lifecycles of subjects involved. Inspired by the cubists, Shankar S has crafted these works from photographs taken across India, these narratives challenge the perception, provoking the viewer to question.

He says, "I’m fascinated with texture, it’s not always a glorified composition but balanced like Degas and others.”

Accompanied with a presentation, the exhibition was inaugurated by Bheem Malhotra, Chairman of Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi in the presence of Ophélie Belin, director of the institution. Malhotra says, "The exhibition is the first of its kind in the city, it's reminiscent to the works presented in the India Art Fair earlier this month."

Some pieces on display like Love or Rhythm of Life, use bold, vibrant illustrations of mimes and dancers capturing their movements in a single image. While others like Maze of Life uses a sequence of photographs taken across decades to evoke a sense of nostalgia.

Shivam Gulati, student of GCA, says "I really liked his works, especially Ascending or Descending, with precise manipulation of stairs and careful line intersection was interesting. As an art practitioner, I'm really inspired by his work."

Whether capturing the chaos of city life, the serenity of organic, or carefully constructed geometrical patterns, each artwork tells a unique tale. Shankar S says, “I break rules of thirds. Visual context is build up differently and I use my own conviction and freedom”.

The exhibition is open to the public till  March 10 between 9 am to 7 pm.