Museo Camera in Gurugram will present “Life is in Many Days“, a major exhibition by Irish photographer Seamus Murphy, from 22 August to 25 October 2026. Curated by Zelda Cheatle, the exhibition brings together four significant bodies of work produced over more than three decades across Afghanistan, Ireland, India, Russia and the United States. The exhibition explores how photography can document human experience beyond headlines, focusing on everyday lives shaped by history, conflict and culture.

A Photographer Focused on Human Stories

Seamus Murphy is internationally recognised for his long-term documentary projects and has received seven World Press Photo awards. His photographs and films often explore the relationship between individuals and the social and political environments in which they live. Rather than focusing solely on major events, Murphy’s work examines personal experiences, memory and resilience. His photographs are held in collections including the Getty Museum, the Imperial War Museum and the National Gallery of Ireland. Murphy describes his approach as a search for “intimacy and a certain kind of poetic realism,” a quality that has become a defining characteristic of his documentary practice.

Four Bodies of Work Across Continents

The exhibition presents photographs made in different regions and periods of Murphy’s career. One section focuses on The Republic, his personal and reflective portrait of Ireland, documenting everyday moments, traditions and social change. Another body of work draws on Murphy’s repeated visits to Afghanistan since 1994, offering an alternative perspective to conventional conflict photography by highlighting the dignity and humanity of people living through decades of upheaval.

Murphy’s photographs from Kolkata form another key part of the exhibition. These images observe the city’s streets, architecture, workspaces and spiritual life, capturing daily interactions and small gestures that often go unnoticed. Also included is material related to Strange Love, his recent book comparing experiences in Russia and the United States through the lives of ordinary people rather than political narratives.

Highlights of the Exhibition

• Photographs from Ireland, Afghanistan, India, Russia and the United States
• Selections from The Republic
• Images from Murphy’s long-term work in Afghanistan
• Kolkata street photography series
• Works connected to the book Strange Love
• More than three decades of documentary practice brought together in one exhibition

Curatorial Perspective

The exhibition has been curated by Zelda Cheatle, an internationally recognised photography curator, writer and advisor. Over several decades, Cheatle has worked with major photographic collections, archives and institutions worldwide. Her curatorial practice is known for placing photography within broader historical and cultural contexts, helping audiences engage more deeply with visual narratives.

According to Museo Camera founder Aditya Arya, the exhibition reflects the institution’s commitment to presenting significant photographic work and creating opportunities for audiences in India to engage with internationally recognised practitioners.

Museo Camera and Its Photography Programme

The exhibition will take place at Museo Camera, one of India’s leading institutions dedicated to photography. Established from photographer and archivist Aditya Arya’s personal collection, the museum has grown into one of South East Asia’s largest centres for photographic arts. The institution houses historic cameras, archives, photographic equipment and related collections while regularly hosting exhibitions, talks and public programmes.

Visitor Information

Conclusion

By bringing together photographs from multiple countries and decades, Life is in Many Days offers an opportunity to reflect on shared human experiences across cultures and borders. Through Murphy’s observational and empathetic approach, the exhibition encourages viewers to look beyond familiar narratives and consider the everyday lives that shape history. For photography audiences in India, the exhibition provides a significant encounter with contemporary documentary practice and its ability to connect people through visual storytelling.

AstaGuru has announced its upcoming “Iconic Masters” auction, scheduled to take place online on August 11–12, 2026. The sale will bring together a curated selection of works by some of the most influential figures in Indian modern art, including S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, Ram Kumar, Hemendranath Mazumdar, Krishen Khanna, Arpita Singh, J. Swaminathan, Sakti Burman and Satish Gujral. According to the auction house, the catalogue traces key developments in Indian modernism through works spanning abstraction, figuration, mythology, landscape and personal narrative.

Focus on the Evolution of Indian Modernism

The auction highlights artistic movements that shaped twentieth-century Indian art. AstaGuru said the sale brings together works that represent pivotal moments in the evolution of Indian modernism and reflects the diversity of approaches adopted by artists across generations. The collection includes works with notable provenance, exhibition histories and rarity, factors that continue to attract collectors and institutions alike.

Founded in 2008, AstaGuru has grown into one of India’s leading online auction houses, specialising in art, antiques and collectibles while serving a global collector base.

Raza’s ‘Jala Bindu’ Leads the Sale

Among the headline lots is S.H. Raza’s Jala Bindu (1990), a significant work from the artist’s celebrated Bindu period. The painting reflects Raza’s mature visual language, developed through the synthesis of European abstraction and Indian philosophical thought. In the work, the bindu functions as a symbol of creation, energy and cosmic order, themes that became central to the artist’s practice during the later decades of his career.

Raza remains one of the most important figures in post-independence Indian art, and works from his Bindu series continue to hold a prominent place in museum collections and the international art market.

Major Works by M.F. Husain

Another key section of the auction is devoted to M.F. Husain. The sale includes a large untitled diptych from around 1970, a period often regarded as one of the artist’s most innovative phases. The work combines fragmented figures, symbolic imagery and dynamic compositions that reflect Husain’s engagement with history, mythology and contemporary life.

Additional highlights include:

• An untitled painting centred on Husain’s iconic horse motif.
• OPCE 5 and OPCE 8 from the artist’s Our Planet Called Earth series.
• Works that have previously been exhibited internationally in Paris and Dubai.

These works illustrate the breadth of Husain’s artistic vision, from symbolic narratives to reflections on global political and environmental concerns.

Contemporary and Rare Highlights

The auction also features an untitled 1999 canvas by Arpita Singh, whose work explores memory, intimacy and domestic life through layered imagery and vibrant colour. Singh’s practice has gained increasing international recognition in recent years, with major exhibitions contributing to renewed attention on her contribution to contemporary Indian art.

Another notable offering is Hemendranath Mazumdar’s Shadow, an early watercolour that differs from the artist’s better-known oil paintings. Remaining within the artist’s family by descent and referenced in scholarly publications, the work provides a rare opportunity to examine a lesser-seen aspect of Mazumdar’s oeuvre.

Celebrated Series and Artistic Legacies

Further works in the sale include Krishen Khanna’s Bandwallas (Triptych), part of one of the artist’s most recognised series depicting ceremonial musicians, and a painting from J. Swaminathan’s Bird, Tree and Mountain series. Swaminathan’s work is widely associated with visual languages informed by folk, tribal and indigenous traditions, while Khanna’s paintings have long examined social and cultural life in India.

Together, the catalogue spans more than a century of artistic production and brings together artists whose works continue to shape discussions around Indian modern and contemporary art.

Auction Details and Registration

For more information, visitors can explore AstaGuru Auction House and preview the upcoming Iconic Masters Auction Catalogue.

Takeaway

By bringing together works by S.H. Raza, M.F. Husain, Arpita Singh, Krishen Khanna, J. Swaminathan and other influential artists, the “Iconic Masters” auction offers a broad survey of Indian modernism and its continuing legacy. The sale reflects both the historical significance and enduring relevance of these artists’ contributions. As interest in Indian art continues to expand internationally, the auction provides collectors, researchers and art enthusiasts an opportunity to engage with works that have shaped the country’s cultural narrative and artistic heritage.

A new site-responsive installation by artist Avantika Bawa is drawing attention to the relationship between landscape, memory and environmental change in Ladakh. Titled Blue Scaffolds in Zbayul, the work has been created for the sā Ladakh Biennale in Henasku, a remote village whose layered histories, oral traditions and ecological narratives form part of the broader cultural landscape of the region. Installed around the remains of an abandoned aqueduct, the project transforms familiar construction materials into a sculptural intervention that examines ideas of support, absence and environmental precarity.

A Work Rooted in Place

Located within the mountainous terrain of Henasku, the installation responds directly to the site’s history and geography. The work surrounds a disused aqueduct, drawing attention to infrastructure that once played a vital role in sustaining life in the region.

Painted in a vivid blue, the scaffolding structures reference both water and the sky. The colour functions as a visual reminder of the aqueduct’s former purpose while also reflecting growing concerns about water scarcity and ecological vulnerability in the Himalayan region. Through this intervention, Bawa connects historical memory with contemporary environmental realities.

Reimagining the Language of Scaffolding

Scaffolding is typically associated with construction, repair and temporary support. In Blue Scaffolds in Zbayul, however, the material takes on a different role. Rather than serving a practical function, the structures appear to support the landscape while simultaneously revealing their instability.

The installation creates a series of visual interruptions across the terrain. Leaning and intersecting forms frame views of the surrounding valley and invite visitors to consider the relationship between built environments and natural formations. The work occupies a space between permanence and impermanence, construction and ruin, visibility and disappearance.

About the Artist

Avantika Bawa is known internationally for large-scale installations, sculptural interventions and works on paper that explore architecture, colour and spatial perception. Based between Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, Washington, she has exhibited internationally for more than two decades. She currently serves as Professor of Fine Arts at Washington State University Vancouver.

Her practice frequently employs industrial materials and modular structures to investigate how people experience space. Previous projects such as APEX (COLISEUM) at the Portland Art Museum and several scaffold-based public installations in India and Australia have established scaffolding as a recurring sculptural language within her work.

sā Ladakh Biennale and Community Engagement

The installation forms part of the inaugural sā Ladakh Biennale, a contemporary art initiative that unfolds across multiple sites along the Leh-Kargil corridor. Grounded in the Ladakhi concept of “sā” meaning soil, the biennale focuses on ecology, memory, cultural exchange and long-term engagement with local communities.

Henasku itself occupies an important position within the biennale’s framework. Often described as a village hidden within the mountains, it offers artists an opportunity to work closely with local histories and landscapes. Through projects such as Blue Scaffolds in Zbayul, the biennale encourages visitors to engage with places that might otherwise remain overlooked.

 

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Highlights of the Installation

• Site-responsive artwork created specifically for Henasku village, Ladakh
• Installed around the remains of an abandoned aqueduct
• Uses blue-painted scaffolding as a sculptural material
• Explores water memory, ecological fragility and cultural history
• Engages with themes of visibility, disappearance and environmental change

Art, Memory and Environmental Reflection

Set against Ladakh’s dramatic mountain landscape, Blue Scaffolds in Zbayul extends Bawa’s ongoing exploration of architecture and perception while addressing questions that resonate beyond the region. The installation highlights how abandoned infrastructures can become repositories of memory and how contemporary art can create new conversations around environmental challenges.

By transforming a utilitarian structure into a reflective artistic gesture, the work invites viewers to consider the histories embedded within landscapes and the changing ecological conditions that shape them.

Takeaway

Blue Scaffolds in Zbayul demonstrates how contemporary art can engage with local histories while addressing broader environmental concerns. Through its dialogue with Ladakh’s landscape, water systems and cultural memory, the installation offers visitors an opportunity to reflect on the connections between place, community and ecological responsibility. As part of the sā Ladakh Biennale, the project contributes to ongoing conversations about sustainability, heritage and the role of art in understanding