Photo-artist Paulius Normantas exhibition captures the stories of Indian and Hungarian gypsies. The story of photographer Paulius Normantas journey through India and Hungary travels across two rooms at the Hungarian Centre. The exhibition,titled With a Wandering Lens,consists of black-and-white photos,shot with an analog camera that capture two gypsy communities who appear culturally different yet similar in their expressions and mannerisms. Over 2011 and 2012,Normantas rambled through Jodhpur,Udaipur and Jaisalmer,learning about the Banjara and Kalbelia tribes. He also travelled through East Hungary,profiling the Szabolcs-Szatmarberg gypsy community. I could walk in and have a cup of tea with the gypsies in Hungary because I spoke their language,but people in Rajasthan were sceptical, he says. Little boys in Jodhpur would throw stones at him,they even broke his camera during the colour festival,but he didnt mind because the outcome was worth it. I learned about these ethnic groups,and even managed to catch some lovely expressions, he says. His portraits capture the langour of old people and the innocence of children. Old people and young children have stronger personalities and they arent afraid to show it, he says. From over 2,500 pictures taken through his tours of the two countries,Normantas chose 50 for this exhibition. His relationship with India began in 1991 when he started backpacking through north India,photographing the Buddhists in Ladakh and the Himalayas. During his travels,he learnt that large groups of gypsies from Europe migrated to India around the 14th century. Eventually,I want to photograph gypsy communities of other European countries such as Slovakia,Romania and France. Brussels is my next stop, he says. The exhibition is at the Hungarian Centre till March 22. Contact: 23014992
