Egaro Photo Festival
Egaro Photo Festival is an independent Photo Festival from Tripura, India held at Nazrul Kalakshetra, Agartala biennially. The photo festival started in 2016 with the aim of showcasing works of 11 upcoming artists from the subcontinent. With time, the photo festival has garnered appreciation and both National & International acclaim for its strides towards making the region visible and also for working in close proximity towards promoting art through visual media in the region. The Biennial Photo festival has had 4 editions so far as of 2023 with an online version of the same during the pandemic.
Egaro has been dedicated to fostering a vibrant art scene and promoting lens-based practices and visual arts in the north-eastern region of India. Our journey began with a focus on engaging the local community by showcasing the works of upcoming local artists during our inaugural edition. Over time, we have expanded our scope and embraced a wider range of artistic expressions by featuring artworks from various parts of the country and artists with diverse backgrounds.
One of our key approaches to scenography is the utilisation of local, sustainable, and tangible materials. By integrating these elements into our exhibitions, we not only create visually captivating environments but also establish a strong connection with the local context. This combination of curated art and culturally resonant materials effectively engages audiences, including those with a background in the arts and individuals who appreciate vernacular art forms.
While our primary focus is on promoting artists and practitioners from the region, we have also actively sought collaborations with collectives and creative individuals from the north- eastern region. Through these partnerships, we strive to amplify the artistic voices of the region and present them to a wider audience.
Furthermore, we have partnered with various non-profits and individuals who share our visions. These partnerships enable us to establish connections and drive tangible changes within our community. We accomplish this through grants and small commissions that support the creation of new works or completion of an existing project, organising workshops, building an archive of images collected and restored from the people in our community, hosting pop-up exhibitions, and conducting community outreach programs.
As an organisation committed to fostering artistic expression, we aim to create an immersive platform that celebrates the narratives erupting from the hills and valleys of our region while fostering meaningful connections and collaborations within our community. The festival has been working constantly towards transforming itself as an umbrella organisation representing photography, lens-based and fine art practices from Tripura and the northeast region of India
About Agartala
A city still in its adolescence, Agartala can be a plethora of emotions. From love to calmness, from safety to freshness and tranquillity, it's a melting pot of various cultural and socio-political identities.
Lying on the banks of the Haora River, 2km from the Bangladesh border, Agartala is considered as one of the fastest cities of India. Blessed with rich heritage and culture, it's a 'place in transit', it's a place that makes one feel close to the bounty of nature, with a tinge of history in it.
Agartala is well connected to other parts of India by air, rail and road transport. Currently a domestic airport, Agartala airport is set to become an international airport soon, thus facilitating international travel. Agartala is also accessible by road from West Bengal, via Bangladesh.
This place has been a witness to the immensely talented Sachin Dev Burman and now boasts of internationally acclaimed gymnast, Deepa karmakar as it's golden girl.
Boinari
Boinari(meaning 'friend' in Kokborok) is a group of freelance artists working in their own unique fields, but sharing a collective interest and love for visual media.
We constantly try to push the boundaries of art while spreading awareness about the contemporary photography world.
Since its initiation, Boinari has been involved in various events and platforms, promoting Art and Visual media, thus enhancing creativity and talent of the masses along with their participation.
Egaro Photo Festival is an initiative of Boinari, which began its strides with the organisation itself, in 2016.
Boinari is now a registered organisation under the Directorate of Information & Cultural Affairs, Government of Tripura.