Sparseeing, a newly published photobook, will be presented as an archival exhibition in Mumbai, reconnecting with its Parsi heritage. Drawing from the Gazder-Bharucha family archives, the project weaves together fragments from the itinerant life of Mr Keki Gazder—a mechanical engineer who worked for the renowned Tata company in Jamshedpur. His profession took him to industrial hubs across the UK and Europe, shaping a life marked by both routine and serendipity.
Published in 2025, the photobook unfolds like an absorbing diary, showcasing the evolving visual sensibility of an amateur photographer. The authors trace Keki’s journey through materials recovered from a small box of keepsakes preserved by his grandson, Varun Gazder. Sparseeing embraces the fragmentary, the overlooked, and the fragile—qualities that serve as both method and philosophy in the book and its exhibition.
The project was developed as a collaborative photobook by Joyona Medhi and Abhishek Basu, winners of the 2022 Alkazi Photobook Grant.
It is presented in Mumbai by Cymroza Art Gallery in association with the Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, and supported by Tata Trusts.
The exhibition will be on view till 20 June 2026.
About the Artists:
Joyona Medhi moves fluidly between writing, research, and image-making, exploring the ways in which photographs shape our understanding of the world. Her work is rooted in slow journalism, long-form narratives, in-depth reportage, active listening, and process-oriented inquiry. She now shares her field experience in the classroom as an educator in Media Studies.
Abhishek Basu works with fragments and extended visual narratives. His series Provoke Papers (2019) and How Green Was My Mountain (2017–ongoing) explore India’s coal regions, while Labyrinth (2015) and Passion Fruit (ongoing) trace the emotional and instinctual journey of the self. Alongside his personal practice, he works as an independent assignment photographer.
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