Siva Sai is a Photographer/ Visual Designer based in Chennai, India.
Siva Sai Jeevanantham is a 27-year-old documentary photographer based in Chennai, India. He is a graduate of Photography Design from National Institute of Design (NID), India. He was also a student of English journalism from Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Jammu and Kashmir. Siva Sai started his photography practice in 2012, during his practice he explored different mediums of image-making- ranging from alternative photography practices, archives to digital image-making. Through his personal and documentary practice, he intends to create cognitive dissonance in human minds. His area of enquires revolves around human conflicts and satire. The idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ has always intrigued him, and his work refuses to conform to this binary. Exploring the grey area of human righteousness based on subjective relativism is something that he aims to achieve through his practice.
Awards and Grants
2023
Shortlisted for TOTO Photography Awards 2023
Project- In The Same River
2022
Runner up - Alkazi Photobook Grant
Project- In The Same River
2020
'Upside Down' was special mention during the award ceremony of Umrao Singh Sher-GIl Grant for Photography.
2019
'In the same river' was awarded the long term photography project support grant by Indian Photo Festival, Hyderabad, India.
Exhibitions and Publications
2022
Photo Essay : The Caravan Magazine, Delhi
Project- In The Same River
2021
Chennai Photo Biennale 2021, Chennai
Project- In The Same River
Indian Photo Festival 2021, Hyderabad
Project- In The Same River
Format Festival 2021, Derby UK
Project- Upside Down
Urbanautica - Institute of Visual Anthropology & Cultural Landscapes
Winners - ‘Upside Down’ By Siva Sai Jeevanantham
2020
Blurring the Lines 2020, Paris College of Arts
'In the same river' was special mention in Blurring the Lines exhibition curated by curators Steve Bisson, Lisanne van Happen, and John Fleetwood .
Angkor Photo Festival - Instagram Showcase
Project - Upside Down
2019
'In the Same River' was exhibited in a slideshow event curated by NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati, Co-Founder & Director of Photocircle at Angkor Photo Festival 2019.
Artists Unite - Ahmedabad, India
My project 'In the same river' was exhibited in Artists Unite, Ahmedabad post the abrogration of Article 370 in Kashmir.
My project 'In the same river' was published on The Wire.in post the abrogration of Article 370 in Kashmir.
Obscura Photo Festival
'Animals in Love' was exhibited in Obscura Photo Festival, George Town Malaysia.
Photo Israel
'Avant-Garde Politics' was exhibited in a slideshow event in Photo Israel.
'Avant-Garde Politics' was published in PIX - Citizen issue.
Artist Talks and Conferences
2021
Artist Talk - Chennai Photo Biennale
Artist Talk - National Institute of Design
Artist Talk - Indian Photo Festival 2021
Conflict & the Creative Arts Conference 2021
A panel discussion between artists Siva Sai Jeevaantham, Maxine Chester and Laura Espinosa Loaiza, moderated by Professorial Fellow, Jonathan Harris.
Panel Discussion - Learning Through Archives | Milli Archives & NID
Interview with Urbanautica - Journal of Visual Anthropology & Cultural Landscapes
2020
European Cultural Centre Italy - International Photography Conference
PHOTOGRAPHY AND SOCIAL/ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
Moderator: Lisanne Van Happen
SOAS Transnational Dialogues: How should we remember Covid-19?
How should we remember Covid-19?
What opportunities, and challenges, does the Covid-19 pandemic bring to the politics of archiving and memorialising? Scholars and activists have shown that while many traditional archives naturalise state governance and epistemologies of elite power, archiving can also be used to reveal and challenge inequalities and structures of dominance. Featuring critical collectors and curators working in India and South Africa, this panel discusses archive activism and how we might build a critical archive of Covid-19.
Speakers:
Siva Sai Jeevanantham (photographer and journalist) Chennai, India
Adira Thekkuveettil (independent researcher and photographer) Kolkata, India
Linda Chernis (archives co-ordinator, GALA Queer Archive, Johannesburg, South Africa)
Eleanor Newbigin, SOAS (Chair)