Artist of the Month: May 2025
Photographic Artist and Educator
Based in Calgary, Alberta
Tell us about yourself: where are you from and how your birth place has influenced your artistic practice?
I am originally from Hyderabad in India. Indian culture is very vibrant, chaotic, loud, and deep rooted in history and mythology. I grew up listening to stories from my grandparents, on the heroes and heroines in our mythology. That had a huge impact culturally, creatively, and intellectually since I was a child. Those stories became engrained in my head. That started my own imagination, my own story making.
I take pictures and I call myself a photographer but mainly what I do is to tell stories, especially visual stories, rooted in my culture, my land, my people. It’s been 6 years since I moved to Canada with my family and still the stories of my childhood influence and impact my art making and my storytelling.
“Ghats of Benaras”, Santosh Korthiwada.
How did you arrive at a collage practice from photography?
I started my photography journey in early 2000, I mainly did film photography. It was expensive and it took a long time to be in this discipline. I am a self taught photographer and it became a passion, then I went to get a Masters degree in photography in the USA because I was really interested in this medium.
In all those years it felt that photography was restricting my story telling. Photography is a deductive process since you only frame parts of the whole, you deduct a lot of things from the picture to get what you want.
One day, I was feeling boxed and I opened a photography file. It was black, there was nothing in it, so I started adding one, two, three pictures… and from a completely deductive process I moved to an additive process. It felt very liberating, I discovered new things! I did this series (“Inseparable Fragments”), mainly for myself, I was experimenting and also being busy supporting my family here in Canada
Every single picture you see in my collages are taken by me. Even though I don’t get to take a lot of new pictures here, I have 10,000-20,000 from back home so I was sitting in this huge library of images and I said “why not use these images to make stories from there?”.
You’re interested in education, what impact do you want to see in the world with your teachings?
I don’t have too big dreams, I don’t want to change the world, but I believe in the power of storytelling, in the power of education and in the curious minds of children. I’d like to change the world one story at a time. Education is also very important for myself, I want to keep learning until my last breath and hopefully I continue sharing those stories as far as I can. I’ve never been a full-time teacher but I’m always visiting different schools, colleges, universities, community centers, to teach workshops.
“Inseparable Fragments” has been shown at different schools, libraries, and museums across Southern Alberta. I’ve also been invited to schools, which is one dream of mine: to share my work with younger people and open a dialogue sharing my cultural perspective.
I did a two-week artists residency at Olds Highschool, I spent time with students from 9th to 12th grade. We talked about how our own culture influences the interpretations of visuals, how even mundane things can inspire us and so on…
As an immigrant artist, with non-Western artistic framework, how did you create a space for yourself in Alberta?
It was easy and very difficult to create that space. First of all, I didn’t know what spaces existed (or if they existed at all!). Coming from a totally different background, with no contacts, starting from scratch… Everything seems to be right in front of you but, at the same time, also hidden.
For almost 3 years I didn't do anything, I almost gave up on my art making. At the last moment, I volunteered at ICAI’s IAMP event and it was so beautiful to see so many artists and I didn't know anyone. Artists of all kinds, and there was this organization called “ICAI” that had the words “immigrant” and “art” in the same sentence! From there I made friends and connections, and got to do some art together, got introduced to other organizations, such as Exposure Photography Festival, CADA, Arts Commons. And that’s how one thing led to another. In full honesty, I didn't create a place for myself, I think we already have a place, we just have to find it, that’s what takes time, finding the right people.
“Missing Motherland”, Santosh Korthiwada.
Your collage series “Inseparable Fragments” is getting a lot of attention. What’s next for you?
Inseparable Fragments is almost done, but one idea leads to another. I’m still continuing with the collage practice, now I’m working on a slightly more abstract collage making. After that, let’s see what comes from that.
On May 7th, in Olds High School , there will be a UNESCO Conference. I'm honoured to be invited and talk to selected students from UNESCO recognized high school from all Canada. I’m excited to share stories and use visuals to bring change to society.
In the future, I’d like to do more artist talks, workshops, or activities in education settings.
“Simple Congestion”, Santosh Korthiwada