Loud and colourful - typical Goan characters like Chaddiamkarn, Voddil Aai and Voddil Bappa, Kunnbi, Hippi and Hippin, Sasumaim, Pittullchea Benddache Muzg, Sotailoli Maim, Bhattkar and Bhattkan’n, Pativ (Padri Tiv), Bamonn Bhott, Soirikan’n Mavxi, Futtbol Mogi, Bitt Muzg, Bailanddo, Pulis, Somajsevak, Bebdo, Nustekan’n, among others, come alive on the massive images that adorn the majestic hall of Adil Shah Palace in Panaji, where Alex Fernandes’ lens has successfully captured the images of archetypical figures that are an integral part of the social fabric of Goa.
One can relate to the iconic characters in his portraits very easily as one walks through the tall gallery that holds 22 portraits by Alex Fernandes. Curator Prashant Panjiar put his faith in Alex while offering him the project - Archetype Portraits 2016 - for Serendipity Arts Festival. “I enjoyed shooting the concept in its entirety. My work stretched over a span of four months - I got costumes stitched and instruments as well as equipment hired and get the talented tiatrist couple Silvester Vaz and Irene Cardozo E Vaz into the right mood and slot their time for my series. It was Isidore Alaxander Dantas who selected the perfect titles for each of the portrait that befitted its character,” states Alex.
Dantas’ wonderful job instantly catches the eye and works the mind too. For example, the portrait, Bebdo, brings the image of a village drunkard with his peculiar and predicted behaviour to mind, generating mixed feelings. One hates the archetypical character but at the same time feels sympathy for the poor addict. The tiatr has many such typical characters picked up from real life in rural and urban Goa which have made their way into the gallery. Alex gave make-up tips too, to get the required look for the character.
How has been the response to archetypical portraits from art circles? “Very encouraging,” claims the portrait artist whose signature retro black-and-white images grace the walls of many Goan homes. His portraits of well-known personalities, tiatrists, musicians and contemporary artists are popular among the Goan diaspora.
Alex is visibly happy that his exhibition registered more than expected number of footfalls and that too from all walks of life, to have a glimpse of these ‘larger-than-life’ size posters. Alex wanted to have his portrait art exhibited in the public domain where all have free entry and easy access. “My purpose is served,” he exclaims wishing that his art should communicate with the public. “The viewer must relate with the art. He must connect with it emotionally and psychologically. That is called the real success of the artist,” he pronounces.
Portraits hold a special place in his journey as a photographer. Defining the difference between a painting and a portrait, Alex states, “A painting has creative value. It is personalised work of art, made one time by an artist. It is not reproducible. One can replicate them but not reproduce the same piece of art. Whereas the photo portraits are re-printable and though one can have a limited edition, they are difficult to sell. However they do have archival quality and can last for a century if stored under proper conditions (unlike a painting which may deteriorate with time).”
Alex recalls that at one point in his career he was fascinated with fashion photography. “I thought this clan had a lot of glamour and charisma. I was actually a part of the industry in 1984 when I worked as an assistant photographer with Rahul Patel who gave me my first glimpse of advertising and fashion photography,” admits Alex. However it was a brief stint after which Alex flew to the Middle East in 1987 to work with the Boushari Color film Co (Kuwait). Initially averse to portrait photography, Alex thought it would deplete his skills as an advertising and fashion photographer. But fate had already carved his future - his studio manager insisted that he stick with portraits. “Thanks to him, I learned to speak colloquial Arabic, an essential skill, and eventually became an extremely skilled portraitist,” recalls Alex.
Alex joined a Kodak distributor in Kuwait in 1990 - Ashraf’s - which had several reputed photographic agencies like Nikon, Sinar, Hasselblad, Noritsyu minilabs etc. “As a part of my job, I was sent to Basel, Switzerland, where I attended lighting workshops with the Broncolor lighting systems manufacturer Sinar Bron AG (who also manufactured the world famous large format ‘Sinar’ cameras). I was quite pampered with premium equipment at my disposal,” boasts Alex. During his tenure at Ashraf’s he conducted lighting workshops for the company. The workshops for Profoto film and Potra paper which were Kodak products used exclusively for portraiture were on behalf of Kodak (Near East) based in Dubai. Part of his job was also as a consultant photographer offering equipment and solutions to photographers as part of their sales and services. “This meant exposure to a wide variety of photographers, their styles and studio conditions,” shares Alex.
In 1998 he saw for the first time the first Digital SLRs from Nikon and Kodak. “I immediately grasped the technology and its potential. I got myself a computer and spent my spare time studying Photoshop. I had top of the line equipment at the Ashraf’s studio to experiment with. I soon sufficiently mastered the requisite skills and technology required for advertising and portrait photography. I felt I had to move on. It was here that I decided to return to India,” he tells.
There was another reason for his comeback. His job was challenging, but working in a team his own work lacked individuality. “I could not give any personal touches to my work. Whatever was asked was produced, of course my technical skills were sharpened but there was no scope for creativity. It was sort of demand and delivery type of job where one could put no heart or soul into his work,” admits Alex who eventually moved to Goa in 2001. In Goa, he did not wish to take up anymore commercial assignments and instead follow his heart in the most genuine way. “I thought I had a chance of being unrestricted with my art, with a lot of play time,” says Alex who opened his studio Portrait Atelier at Ribandar in 2004 with that intent.
“I wanted introduce a style of portraiture in Goa that was unique, a blend of classic studio lighting and poses combined with digital technology. The portrait series are done with a consistent studio style,” states Alex whose portraits of tiatrists, artists and musicians have a temporal dimension and semiotic context. They are visual symbols that tell a story of a people in a certain time. Being conceptual and staged the images as a series are highly coded in contrast to regular photography due to its dependency on the environment and chance. Eventually his evolutionary work with archetypical portrait photography got noticed. Today, with a body of work and a number of exhibitions to support his authority in the field, Alex Fernandes has successfully carved a niche for himself in his home state as his work will remind us about the Goa that once was.
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Milestones
• The ‘Tiatriste’ series at Fontainhas (2005)
• Goan Musicians (2006)
• Portrait series of Goan artists for Aparanta at Old GMC (2007)
• A catalogue was released with the artist portraits by GTDC (2007)
• First solo exhibition of the ‘Tiatriste’ series at Literati Book Shop (2008)
• ‘Retrieval Systems’, a group show curated by Ranjit Hoskote at Art Alive Gallery, New Delhi (2009)
• The Front 242 Project (2010)
• Goa Trance and Beach Parties (2010)
• ‘Lens-ing it’- curated by Johny MIL, a group show with photography artists (2011)
• Goa Archetypes at Serendipity Arts Festival (2016)
