12th August 2001
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Dushyanth
Beauty, glamour, allure and reality
There's something about so-called "commercial" photographers that has always bugged me: why the vast majority of them seem content to simply get the basic technicalities of picture taking right; why they see focus and exposure as an end, and not as a means to an end.After about 20 years behind his camera, Padmakumar Mettasena is still
not the complete artiste he could be, but he is slowly getting there. His
third exhibition in ten years, which opens at the Lionel Wendt gallery
next Wednesday, represents a seven-year phase in his evolution from news 
photographer
to camera artiste.
Most of the works Mettasena will display at "f-Stops 2001" (again a preoccupation with technique!) will be portraits of people, many published in The Sunday Times, his vehicle to fame, and some which never made it to newsprint.
So what purpose does this exhibition serve? "I am in search of change," says Mettasena. "My efforts with lighting, unusual backdrops, backgrounds and expressions don't always show up on newsprint. Artistic photographs often do not reproduce well in newspapers."
He adds an afterthought: "Some of my pictures may also be too daring for general consumption." As I understand it then, "f-Stops 2001" is an effort to get feedback from peers and enthusiasts at large.
Understandably, a large number of Mettasena's submissions will be pictures of female models, because for the greater part of the past seven years he expressed his artistry through the covers of the Mirror Magazine of the Sunday Times. Hopefully, this will not deter some of the more serious connoisseurs and critics and will not detract from what Mettasena hopes to accomplish.
I have known the man for about 12 years, and one facet of his character is an insistence that he does things his way, sometimes even if his client wants otherwise. Whether this is a quality that resides in a true artiste I don't know, but it would be nice if some of his exhibits reflect this aspect as well.
"Many subjects would like their portraits to look glamorous, to have a "star" quality," says Mettasena. "But I like to show reality...... like wrinkles."
"A portrait should show character, and not be a cover-up," he insists. "I am often saddened to see how people are touched up, before photography and even on the photograph. A photographer should capture moments and expressions, not foundation and paint."
What then, lies in store for us who visit Mettasena's five-day exhibition? A dose of reality in a day and age when reality is all too stark?
No, Metta-sena's world is still full of glamour, and the man has always had an eye for beauty. So, as Mettasena himself says, it will be a mix of innocence, allure, sexiness and yes, a few wrinkles.
- Kendall Hopman
Alcoholicus Muchos
By Norm(an) De Plume
Homo Sapiens is an omnivore, in general that is. However, there is a certain subdivision within the species that lives on a heavily liquid diet. The Muchos Alcoholicus is sometimes indistinguishable from the main species, due mainly to the close physical resemblance between the two. But upon the second look, the observer may notice certain unique qualities that clearly establish the Muchos Alcoholicus as a separate species as its own.Before we move on, it is worthwhile noting that the Alcoholicus is born a normal Homo Sapiens. The transition to the Alcoholicus usually happens during the creature's teens to the twenties depending on its habitat, and normally due to the creature's exposure to powerful germs, most commonly Friendii Baddus and Peerus Pressurus. On most occasions, the exposure is not bad enough to mutate the Homo Sapiens to a fully-fledged Muchos Alcoholicus, and is halted at the Occasional Alcoholicus stage. This latter species also shares some of the characteristics of the Muchos, but only for shorter periods of time. Let us now look at these aspects in detail.
a) The upright posture and walk of the Homo Sapiens is departed from, and is replaced by a gait that resembles that of a... well... you'll know it when you see it.
b) The ability to whisper is lost completely, despite the creature's belief that it is doing so.
c) It incessantly declares its affection to its companions.
d) It mistakenly believes that it has been given gifts of song, wit and combat skills. The latter two are major contributors to the fact that most creatures find themselves needing medical attention after 'a night out'.
e) It thinks it can carry on conversations, and in particular woo the members of the opposite sex, without spluttering all over the object of its interest.
f) Its mind is able to tear the time-space barrier, on occasion transporting it to the restroom. However, this ability does not manifest itself physically, and the body (and its effects) is usually left behind in public places.
One need not look too closely for these signs though; the typical specimen can usually be heard or smelled from quite a distance away.
One must deal with these creatures very carefully, as they are very prone to outbursts of anger. However, physical violence does not hold too much danger because of the Alcoholicus' visual (and mental) impairments. However, it may use its deadliest weapon, which is a deadly cocktail of everything it consumed during the past few hours ejected orally - all over you without any warning. In handling these creatures, the usual assumptions you may make do not hold much validity. For example, seeing one prone at the base of a stairway would lead us to think that it had fallen in the course of climbing them. However, as far as the Alcoholicus is concerned the very real possibilities that it never reached the stairs and tripped on flat ground and that it has not fallen at all, but merely thought the location ideal for a brief nap, should be taken into account.
Thus caution is advised in handling these creatures, who have the ability to survive in varied conditions and despite the efforts of experts, are still not on the endangered species list.
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