Santhosh Pai's Art: Illuminating Shadows, Healing!

21 Jun 2023

Santhosh Pai’s Art: Illuminating Shadows, Healing!

Once upon a time, there was a guy named Santhosh Pai who wanted to capture the magical space between shadow and light. He did this through his dreamy and surreal photographs, which he displayed in a solo show called "The Mind's Eye."
Santhosh's Journey: Dreamy Photography

Santhosh's life had its ups and downs, just like the play of light and shadow in his pictures. Before becoming a photographer, he started his creative journey as a visual artist. He learned art from an artist named Ramesh Rao in Udupi, while also going to school. He even dabbled in animation and worked on illustrations.
 	At one point, Santhosh worked with NGOs, including one called The Concerned for Working Children. He traveled all over the place, from different regions of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and even the US. He documented their work and took lots of pictures along the way.
 	Photography became an important part of Santhosh's life because he wanted to capture places he hoped to paint later on canvas. His photos started looking like paintings because of his artistic eye. He used to work with acrylic and watercolors before he found his passion for photography.
 	"The Mind's Eye" exhibition consists of around 22 photographs taken by Santhosh from 2010. These pictures tell stories of his travels and adventures during that time. One memorable moment was when he bought a new camera just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He took a risky shot during a stormy day by the beach, making sure he didn't ruin his precious camera.
 	Another remarkable picture was taken in downtown Los Angeles, where Santhosh spotted a bird carrying a twig, searching for a place to build a nest. The bird flew above hundreds of homeless people on the streets. It was a powerful image that made it into the exhibition.
 	Santhosh doesn't title his photographs because he wants viewers to interpret them in their own way. His images are dreamy and surreal, allowing people to take what they want from them. He shoots in color but later converts the pictures to black and white. The prints for the show are specially sized at 8x8" or 16x16".
 	Santhosh's goal is to capture a quiet space in his photographs, away from the chaos of everyday life. He focuses on what's happening just off the frame, creating a contrast between the object and its surroundings. Even though his pictures are not shot in squares, he crops them into squares during post-processing.
 	So, there you have it, the story of Santhosh Pai and his incredible journey to capture the space between shadow and light. Through his photographs, he invites us to see the world in a different way and find the magic in the quiet moments.

Santhosh’s Journey: Dreamy Photography

Santhosh’s life had its ups and downs, just like the play of light and shadow in his pictures. Before becoming a photographer, he started his creative journey as a visual artist. He learned art from an artist named Ramesh Rao in Udupi, while also going to school. He even dabbled in animation and worked on illustrations.
At one point, Santhosh worked with NGOs, including one called The Concerned for Working Children. He traveled all over the place, from different regions of Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and even the US. He documented their work and took lots of pictures along the way.
Photography became an important part of Santhosh’s life because he wanted to capture places he hoped to paint later on canvas. His photos started looking like paintings because of his artistic eye. He used to work with acrylic and watercolors before he found his passion for photography.
“The Mind’s Eye” exhibition consists of around 22 photographs taken by Santhosh from 2010. These pictures tell stories of his travels and adventures during that time. One memorable moment was when he bought a new camera just before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He took a risky shot during a stormy day by the beach, making sure he didn’t ruin his precious camera.
Another remarkable picture was taken in downtown Los Angeles, where Santhosh spotted a bird carrying a twig, searching for a place to build a nest. The bird flew above hundreds of homeless people on the streets. It was a powerful image that made it into the exhibition.
Santhosh doesn’t title his photographs because he wants viewers to interpret them in their own way. His images are dreamy and surreal, allowing people to take what they want from them. He shoots in color but later converts the pictures to black and white. The prints for the show are specially sized at 8×8″ or 16×16″.
Santhosh’s goal is to capture a quiet space in his photographs, away from the chaos of everyday life. He focuses on what’s happening just off the frame, creating a contrast between the object and its surroundings. Even though his pictures are not shot in squares, he crops them into squares during post-processing.
So, there you have it, the story of Santhosh Pai and his incredible journey to capture the space between shadow and light. Through his photographs, he invites us to see the world in a different way and find the magic in the quiet moments.