NEW DELHI: In the hustle and bustle of crowded urban spaces and the vivaciousness of uptown markets, Dutch photographer Martin Roemers has attempted to underline the vexing issue of overgrowing population in metropolitan cities.
Titled, “Metropolis”, the ongoing exhibition at India Habitat Centre here, documents Roemers’ journey to 22 mega cities across five continents observing the sense of city as a ‘spectacle’.
“These mega cities have complex and fragile metabolisms that support and sustain all walks of human life. The space available per person to exist in, or how to keep transportation infrastructures up and running in these sprawling centers are some of the issues that we need to combat,” says Roemers.
His collection which will be featured in the March issue of National Geographic Magazine, includes shots of an overcrowded Mohammed Ali Road in Mumbai, the quintessential yellow taxi from the streets of Chandni Chowk in Kolkata and a photograph of Zixia road and Wangjjazuijjao Street in Shanghai in China among others.
Roemers who has been fascinated by the “positive energy” of these markets says, “I have studied each composition of the market in order to illustrate human resilience and the ingenuity required to combat endlessly complex issues”.
The artist has not only captured the scale, pace and immediacy of this new urban reality, but also gives us insight into the massive infrastructures that are needed to keep the colossal hubs of humanity moving.
Another photograph, titled, ‘Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road’, reveals one of the oldest streets located in Karachi in Pakistan which encloses numerous landmarks running through the city.
‘Simbashi Station’ captured in Tokyo in Japan, presents a striking picture of people busy with their own errands, showcasing a sense of alienation among human beings despite being a part of the crowd.
A scene from “New Market” nestled in the dingy lanes of Dhaka in Bangladesh, presents a sense of resilience with broken shanties and dilapidated buildings.
The exhibition was organized by the Embassy of Netherlands in association with the Nazar Foundation.-PTI
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