Stock and Screen

In this presentation, Chinar Shah explores the history of photography through the lens of economic forces that have shaped both the industry and our visual culture.

Focusing on two parallel trajectories—the early predictions of surveillance embedded in camera technology and the development of stock photography—she examines how these modes of image production challenge dominant narratives within photographic history. Moving beyond the canonical styles, Shah draws from her own photographic practice, as well as from readings and artistic references that have influenced her approach to the image. The talk will be followed by Q&A session.

Chinar Shah is an artist based in Bangalore whose work explores documentary practices through the screen—using it simultaneously as a tool and a site of photographic inquiry. She is the founder of Home Sweet Home Studio, a research and publication platform dedicated to investigating self-organized, artist-led, and curatorial projects across India. Shah is the co-editor of Photography…