IU photography professor featured in NYC exhibit

A member of the IU photo faculty has snapped the perfect picture, taking the flash all the way to New York City.\nThe SEPIA International Gallery is presenting a group exhibition titled “Namesake/Inspiration” based on the new film “The Namesake,” from filmmaker Mira Nair and the novel by author Jhumpa Lahiri.\nThe photographs of IU fine-arts professor Osamu James Nakagawa will be featured along with those of many others. The opening reception will be held today in New York City.\nThe film’s inspiration came from photographs. “If it weren’t for photography, I wouldn’t be a filmmaker,” Nair said in a news release.\nThe film traces the movements and crossings of the Ganguli family from Calcutta, India, to the United States. \nThe exhibition will explore themes of transportation identity, negotiating difference, confronting tradition and the nomadism of contemporary life.\nThe photographs present images of displacement and anonymity, introspection and quietude. They are shown in places of crowded streets, urban views and suburban landscapes, emphasizing the themes, according to the news release.\nThe release of “The Namesake” coincides with the exhibition, which will run from March 9 to April 21.