Snapshots and photographs to preserve for a lifetime

Photographer Tapu Javeri launches seventh book on Saturday.

KARACHI:

The courtyard was profusely decorated with silver streamers. Large poster-sized ’90s images of model Vaneeza Ahmad and actor Babra Sharif enveloped the entrance. Photographer Tapu Javeri was dressed in plain blue jeans and a black blazer for the launch of his seventh book, Tapulicious 2, at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVS) on Saturday night.

There’s no doubt that Tapu knows his way around the camera. But he feels an artist’s work needs to be archived so trends can be remembered for generations to come. “I’ve been archiving photographs for years; dying with them is pointless. So I’ve made a book out of it.” He requests his fellow photographers to do the same. “Archive your work. It’s very important, not just in Pakistan but in any country.”



“Starting from 1984, the book is about my journey in fashion,” he continues about Tapulicious 2. “It’s a tongue-in-cheek book. It’s my cutting edge work that I’ve done over the years.” The book shows fashion trends which have been a part of the scene in Pakistan overtime. “Fashion has not stayed the same — the post-martial law periods, the Benazir [Bhutto] era, the shalwar era, shirts [lengths] going up and down and of course, the demise of the sari ... I hope it comes back,” he says.



“The good will survive — the rest, we won’t ever know about it. And one needs to survive,” he adds.

The book affair

It was a sight to witness. Several photographers, including long-time fan and photographer Amean J and guests gathered to show their support for this photographer’s work.

“What I like about his work is that it’s fun,” says writer Kamila Shamsie who was deeply engrossed in a collage which was exhibited at the launch. “What you see, is that there is an artist at work — that’s actually what you see in his entire range of work.”

Tapu feels it’s important for artists to archive their work. PHOTO: PUBLICITY

Socialite Nazneen Tariq seemed rather mesmerised by Tapu’s work as well. “He knows how the magic is done when he has a camera in his hands,” she says, admitting that he snapped pictures of some of the outfits she designed years ago.



“I have been so lucky.” curator Sameera Raja, who was also present at the book launch, says, “Tapu is just fabulous. He captures it all in the right manner. He’s a risk-taker.” She feels he isn’t scared of releasing his own books and they do make it to his list of victories.

Kiran Aman from Markings Publishing, the book’s publisher, reveals the Magnum- branded book is an archival collection.



“The book is a mix of fashion, profiles and personalities he has taken pictures of over the years,” she says.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2013.

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