Elysium A photography project by Sandeep Dhopate

“All religions promote some kind of promised land of eternal happiness after death.

The idea must have been to be encourage compassion and respect for everything around so as to be deserving of this great reward. But somewhere along the line, we seemed to have lost the plot and started engaging in violent forceful behavior to gain entry into that Elysium. What made us believe in a myth so staunchly that we ignore the paradise we already are on and resort to destroying everything around us.

The elysian fields do exist and we are already there.” – Sandeep Dhopate

Based in Mumbai, India – Sandeep’s work explore the intersections between religion, spirituality and sexuality often questioning our current moral value system established through a mass blind acceptance of a generalized truth.

NB: Limited edition prints from Elysium are available at the Public House of Art and can be purchased here – https://publichouseofart.com/artists/sandeep-dhopate

Discover more of Sandeep’s work here: Sandeep Dhopate

Once upon a time there was a creature called man. Like all other creatures he had a simple collective identity © Sandeep Dhopate
All Men lived in harmony. Life was peaceful © Sandeep Dhopate
Man built a shelter for himself just like all other creatures © Sandeep Dhopate
Man hunted for survival just like all other creatures © Sandeep Dhopate
Man ate to live and not live to eat © Sandeep Dhopate
Then one Man came up with the idea of “Religion” © Sandeep Dhopate
He started to enforce his ideologies on all other Men. © Sandeep Dhopate
To prove himself right, Man used the tools, meant for survival, to threaten other Men to heed to him. © Sandeep Dhopate
Man became violent © Sandeep Dhopate
The weaker Man had no choice but to abide © Sandeep Dhopate
The ones who didn’t abide were not allowed to exist © Sandeep Dhopate
Apparently, entry into a mythical paradise after death is what he was after © Sandeep Dhopate
Wise Men came along and spoke about compassion and mutual respect © Sandeep Dhopate
And so the Men seemed to live in perfect harmony with others and nature. © Sandeep Dhopate
But, to this day, that harmony is anything but real. © Sandeep Dhopate
And so the cycle of subordination continues. © Sandeep Dhopate
Man’s nature is to oppose in order to stand out. Instinctively, all want to be part of a herd and still be different. © Sandeep Dhopate
Man and his endless quest for the elusive Elysium continues to wreak havoc in his paradise called “Earth” - destroying it bit by bit. © Sandeep Dhopate

2021 People AWARD Deadline: 31 October 2021

Spanning across all corners of the globe, crossing both cultures and borders; we’ve created a complex world of traditions and behaviors. There are few restrictions and we are looking for portraiture, travel, street photography, documentary work, photojournalism, or any other form of photographic practice that tells the story of people!

1st Prize: $1000 · 2nd Prize: $600 · 3rd Prize: $400

Submit Now