Abul Kalam Azad Biography 
Abul Kalam Azad is a professional photographer of Kerala origin. His works are predominantly of autobiographical nature, and his areas of interests include politics, culture, contemporary history, gender and eroticism. Azad is the visionary behind EtP Ekalokam Trust for Photography, which promotes contemporary photography, for which he is known most. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Photo Mail – an online magazine. Abul's work has been widely discussed and critiqued, and he has conducted many exhibitions in India and abroad.
Abul Kalam Azad hails from Kerala. He was born on 24 September 1964 to Tamil parents, who migrated from Tamil Nadu. Azad was brought up in Mattancherry, Kerala. This place belongs to Kochi is known for historic monuments and cultural richness. Right from his childhood he was interested in photography and to develop his skills, he joined as an apprentice in a hometown studio. Later he set up a studio of his own in the 1980s, marking a new beginning at professional end. He named it 'Zen studio' and the studio was opened at Mattancherry. He started working for many periodicals in India and abroad.
In 1990 he moved to Delhi, where he continued with his photography. He worked as a photo-journalist with Press Trust of India till 1996. He got opportunity to travel to Europe as a part of his job, and he received financial aid in the form of scholarships. Later he moved to art photography, and started exhibiting his photos. His first National level exhibition 'Violence Undone' held in New Delhi in 1996. In year 2000, he moved back to his hometown, and set up a studio, 'Mayalokam'. It later became Mayalokam Art Collective to include other artists too.
Published: November 04, 2018
Updated: November 04, 2018
