Delhi dilemma

“Pink is the navy blue of India.” Diana Vreeland How does one photograph Delhi without the results looking like clichéd, tourist-friendly images from the pages of National Geographic? How does a photographer of David Bailey’s standing portray India without seeming con descending? Bailey has been to India fifteen times, and in these photographs he avoids depicting the cultural and economic differences between East and West that can make photos of the country seem overly didactic. Instead, Bailey depicts the colours, textures and people that characterise Delhi – a magenta sari, an infant walking down a rust-coloured road, a bright blue plastic tarpaulin – and so creates a portrait of the city that is sensitive without being self-indulgent. David Bailey, born in London in 1938, is one of the most successful British photographers of his generation. By the 1960s his work had already made him a cult figure. Bailey’s books with Steidl include Havana (2006), NY JS DB 62 (2007), Is That So Kid (2008), Eye (2009), 8 Minutes (2009) and Flowers, Skulls, Contacts (2010).