Sohrab Hura

Sohrab Hura (born 1981 in Chinsurah, West Bengal, India) is an acclaimed contemporary photographer, filmmaker, and author known for his deeply personal, visceral, and experimental approach to visual storytelling. Originally graduating with a Master’s degree in Economics, Hura pivoted entirely to photography, eventually becoming an associate member of the prestigious Magnum Photos agency.

His work frequently blurs the lines between documentary, fiction, memory, and prose, often exploring the intensities of human emotion and societal shifts in India.

Hura’s practice is highly versatile, spanning intensely intimate family chronicles, surreal social commentaries, and experimental video art. Some of his most defining projects include:

• The Journal Family "Sweet Life" Trilogy: This deeply intimate body of work chronicles his relationship with his mother, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and her relationship with her companion dog, Elsa, through three publications:
  • Life Is Elsewhere (2015): A raw, intense, and dark look at his mother's illness and his own coming-of-age;
  • Look It's Getting Sunny Outside!!! (2018): A tonal shift that documents his mother’s gradual improvement, capturing moments of peace, light, and domestic life;
  • A Proposition for Departure (2017) focuses on the relationship between light and sound.
• The Coast (2019): A stark departure from his autobiographical work, this project utilizes high-contrast, direct-flash photography along the Indian coastline. It serves as a surreal, violent, and chaotic commentary on the current socio-political climate of contemporary India.
• Moving Image & Sound: In recent years, Hura has increasingly integrated film, text, and sound into his practice, creating rhythmically complex video installations like The Lost Head & The Bird and Spill, which continue his exploration of fractured narratives and psychological landscapes.

Hura is a strong advocate for the photobook format as a standalone art object. He publishes much of his work under his own imprint, Ugly Dog, allowing him complete control over the sequencing, texture, and pacing of his narratives. Based in New Delhi, he remains a pivotal voice in contemporary South Asian photography, constantly pushing the boundaries of how a camera can document both internal emotional worlds and external realities.

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