Priya Kambli

© Priya Kambli


I find Priya Kambli's work to be extremely inspiring--she won a Critical Mass book award a couple of years ago so I was able to receive a free copy and I find myself paging through it often, a bit wistfully thinking about the kind of work I'd like to make, how there are possibilities beyond "straight" photography, how memory and deeply present emotions can intermingle. I admire how she manages to show a kind of visual perfection without it becoming too pretty or empty. Just look at the diamond shadow of the window mimicking the suit collar in that bottom photograph--every part of her images feels just right, like a mini installation. You can see more of her beautiful work on her website. 

From her artist statement: "My move from India to the United States 13 years ago left me feeling that I do not belong fully to either culture leaving me unable to anchor myself in any particular cultural framework. This disconnection from both cultures has changed the way I perceive myself by forming a hybrid identity, a patching together of two cultures within one person. Photography has been a way of bridging the gap between the two cultures while coming to terms with my dual nature."