Bombay Boulevard; The Colors of India

“What the hell am I doing? Thirty years of photographic ethics hit me in the stomach. I’m sitting in a taxi with the window open, searching intuitively for events in the ongoing day-to-day life. I’m mulling it over while I freeze the moment, questioning my method, myself as a photographer and as a human being. Who am I, sitting in a taxi, photographing the poverty of Bombay? They can’t defend themselves against my camera. I deprive them of the last thing they have, their integrity. When you are poor you are transparent, both to the public and to the authorities. I feel a pang of guilt. Christer Strömholm and Anders Petersen taught me to take responsibility for my images, to stay at shooting-distance. But this is the only way of presenting an honest and true picture of everyday life here in Bombay. From an expressive point of view it was very liberating to get a sense of the situation and follow my feelings. The camera doesn’t have time to rearrange reality; it’s there, in the moment.”
~~~Håkan Elofsson


When Swedish photographer Håkan Elofsson takes his images, he sets out from the situation and the moment - and when it arrives, he switches on all his senses. The camera can be the key to other people's lives, and, at the same time, it shields him and legitimates his presence. This series of photographs are from Elofsson's frequent visits to Bombay and depicts people's constant dealings. It could be anywhere in the world, but now it is a journey along Bombay Boulevard.

Håkan Elofsson lives and works in Stockholm, Sweden.

Bombay Boulevard

Copyright © Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

© Håkan Elofsson

HÅKAN ELOFSSON

Bombay Boulevard is on view at Fotografiska.