bio.

Neel Bhattacharjee (b.1998) is a visual practitioner who operates from the vantage point of catharsis and synthesis. Primarily working with still and moving images, Neel’s practice is a deep inquiry into "qualia"—the ineffable, subjective experience of what it feels like to "be," whether human or otherwise.

 

Neel constructs immersive environments by treating photographs, archives, sounds, and projections not as static records, but as active stimuli. Through his practice, he manipulates photographic elements—such as colour, weight, and texture—to actively engage the viewer's physical senses, demonstrating that an image only comes alive through its relationship with the perceiving organism.

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In his long-term projects, Neel activates a "transactional" working methodology where the photographic environment and the individual viewer move in lockstep. This pedagogical approach collapses the boundary between the human organism and its surroundings, treating them as a single, inseparable field of behavioural interaction.

 

In 2024, he was a student at the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts in Salzburg, Austria, where he exhibited his work in the "Open Studios #1" student group show at the Hohensalzburg Fortress.

 

In 2025, Neel was invited by Alessia Glaviano, head of PhotoVogue, to present his visual praxis in a panel discussion moderated by Yael Martínez at the Global PhotoVogue Festival in Milan, Italy. There, he also screened his project "The Pause," created during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

In 2025 he completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Journalism at the Asian Center for Journalism, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.

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Upcoming Shows & Past Exhibitions:

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• His limited- editioned prints were sold & exhibited as a part of this year's Chennai Photo Biennale x WWF India booth, 'A Dialogue with Nature' at the India Art Fair 2026.

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• Presented his praxis and post-grad final project at the PITIK forum on visual journalism 2025 at the the Asian Center for Journalism, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines.  

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• Cluster Photography & Print Fair from 10–13 April 2025 at 118 Curtain Rd, EC2A 3AY, London, UK, where he will sell limited-editioned prints from his project “I think, therefore I disappear”.

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• "The Tree of Life: A Love Letter to Nature," 6th – 9th March 2025 at Global PhotoVogue Festival, Milan, Italy. 

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• “Open Studio #1”, a group show by students of the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts from 2nd – 3rd August 2024 at Hohensalzburg fortress, Salzburg, Austria.​​

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Scholarships . Workshops . Honours . Grants  :

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• Received a scholarship from the Society of Friends of the International Summer Academy of Fine Arts to attend the course 'Constructed Worlds: Breaking down a Photo Series' with Sarker Protick, 22nd July – 3rd August 2024, at the Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria.

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• Neel’s work is recognised for the first Community Spotlight initiative by Magnum Photos from the Magnum E-Learn Community.

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Collaborations:

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• Neel frequently collaborates with installation artist Susanta Paul & creates a visual conversation, that deepens the experience  of the curated space immersing viewers in liminal worlds. 

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• UK-based artist Alex May collaborated with Neel for his virtual reality project "A Kolkata” during the Indo-European Residency 2021 by the Goethe Institute.

 

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