A "visual and emotional bridge between two very different worlds"

REVIEW: Between Horizons by Devansh Soni, Gallery 40, 40 Gloucester Road, Brighton, BN1 4AQ, running from July 20-July 26.

In his beautiful, thought-provoking new exhibition in Brighton, Devansh Soni promises to “create a visual and emotional bridge between the two very different worlds that have shaped who I am.”

He succeeds admirably. The exhibition of 15 images is modest in scale, but huge in depth, drawing the viewer in with images which linger long in the mind.

The quality of the work is striking, but so too is its import. In a world which is so often so fractured, Devansh focuses on what unites us, rather than divides us – namely the sea in all its immensity, the ocean which gives us perspective. Yes, we are tiny beside it, but crucially it connects everyone ultimately to everyone else.

Devansh invites us to reflect. Of course, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India where he is originally from and Brighton where he lives now are vastly different places, but vastly more interesting are the things that bring them together.

These are photographs which seem to call out to each other.

A special highlight is the boy standing on the Brighton foreshore, looking towards the ruin of the West Pier. Its natural companion is the image of the child in India, almost Mona Lisa-like with her enigmatic half-smile, safe in the arms of her mother. There is something very special in the mother’s look of love – a special unspoken moment which Devansh has captured beautifully.

Striking too is the image entitled Alone – a tiny figure isolated in a vast landscape in India. Striking also is its companion piece, a single figure in the distance on the Brighton beach. You sense the vulnerability of both. You see the scale and the beauty of the landscape in each.

These are images which speak to each other. They also speak to us. And they speak with a voice which is a delight to hear.

Again, this is an exhibition which is modest in scale, but it feels an important one. Everyone who sees it will be more than curious to know what happens next. Devansh’s photographic journey is most definitely one to watch.