Passages to India, Yesterday and Today

Under the auspices of UNESCO, this exhibit presents for the first time in Europe 73 aquatints of the 18^th century, with their mirror reflection of 73 contemporary photographs. 

The India of palaces, towns, fortresses, landscapes and places of worship: the same sites from the same point of view, demonstrating what has or has not changed over 200 years. The passage from the  Ganges Valley to the southern beaches reveals the fascination the distant world of India has always held, and still does today, for occidental travellers. The sites presented include monuments that are protected today by the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) or by UNESCO, but also monuments threatened by a lack of protection due to modern expansion.

The bringing together of two artistic visions, aquatint and photography, provide a great deal of information about the natural sites and the edifices of Indian heritage, inviting us to reflect on what is at stake in conservation and restoration for all heritage.