A cinematic portrait of India in the 1970s and ‘80s

Street life — Between 1978 and 1989, Mitch Epstein made eight trips to India, capturing vibrant scenes of street life and the various subcultures he glimpsed.

Coming of age in mid-century America, photographer Mitch Epstein  was drawn to the mysticism and majesty of Indian culture. At Woodstock, he saw Ravi Shankar play sitar. In the work of Henri Cartier-Bresson, he was transported half way around the globe. After seeing film clips of the Beatles visiting the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Epstein paid $35 to be initiated into Transcendental Meditation in Schenectady, New York.

But it wasn’t until he met filmmaker Mira Nair, his girlfriend and later wife, that Epstein made the journey for himself. Between 1978 and 1989, Epstein took eight extended trips to India. “I was thrust into an unfamiliar world and in a healthy way, it was disorienting. I had to learn a new cultural language and build on it along the way,” Epstein says. 

“That was humbling because I grew up in an era of great privilege and opportunity and took it for granted to a certain extent. Putting myself into a world that wasn’t my own compelled me to let go of some of my perspectives as an American.”

Over a decade, Epstein amassed an archive of thousands of photographs made while collaborating with Nair on the films So Far From India, India Cabaret, and Salaam Bombay!. In 1987, Epstein published the work in the Aperture monograph, In Pursuit of India. But the story wasn’t over.

“I realised that there were a lot of pictures I passed over,” he says. “I didn’t have the emotional and intellectual detachment that would have served me better in terms of editing the work and clarifying what it what it meant to me at the time.”

During lockdown, Epstein returned to his archive to revisit this extraordinary body of work to create the sumptuous new book, In India (Steidl). Neither native nor tourist, Epstein’s cinematic images offer an expansive look that embodies aspects of romanticism and realism at the same time. 

“Being married to an Indian, being part of an Indian family, and having a sense of the meaning of things put me in a unique position to build pictures that were layered with meaning and references to people of the culture,” Epstein says. 

“At the same time I had because I wasn’t encumbered by the hierarchies built into Indian systems. As an American I have to work to detach myself from the things I was taught to believe. As an artist, I’m always wrestling against preconceptions. In India I felt this freedom to navigate between all the different worlds.” 

Decidedly not a travelogue or exotic pictorialisation of the East, In India is instead a cinematic romp through a multifaceted universe. “I didn’t see myself as an ethnographic documentarian. It’s not definitive in any way,” Epstein says. 

“It’s much more personal. India was transformative in getting me away from America – destabilising me in a certain sense. I veered off and didn’t follow the expected path, which make me into a person with a different view of things.”

In India is out now on Steidl. 

Follow Miss Rosen on Twitter. 

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter


Ad

Latest on Huck

Two young women making silly facial expressions, one with a grey coat and the other in a black coat, in front of a white building.
Culture

Tender, carefree portraits of young Ukrainians before the war

Diary of a Stolen Youth — On the day that a temporary ceasefire is announced, a new series from photographer Nastya Platinova looks back at Kyiv’s bubbling youth culture before Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion. It presents a visual window for young people into a possible future, as well as the past.

Four people posing for a portrait, wearing black outfits against a bright red background. The text "Hush presents Analogue Appreciation" is overlaid in yellow and green lettering.
Music

Analogue Appreciation: 47SOUL

Dualism — In an ever more digital, online world, we ask our favourite artists about their most cherished pieces of physical culture. Today, it’s Palestinian shamstep pioneers 47SOUL.

Written by: 47SOUL

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radicals of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy of the German capital’s bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.