Photographer
Sohrab Hura
Sohrab Hura (born 1981 in Chinsurah, West Bengal) is an Indian photographer and filmmaker whose vivid, often surreal visual language navigates psychological interiority and socio-political realities. Based in New Delhi, he became a Magnum Photos nominee in 2014, an associate member in 2018, and a full member in 2020. Hura’s acclaimed Sweet Life trilogy — Life Is Elsewhere (2015), A Proposition for Departure (2017), and Look It’s Getting Sunny Outside!!! (2018) — examines his relationship with his mother following her diagnosis with paranoid schizophrenia. His broader practice spans documentary, fiction, sound, film, and experimental narrative structures, often reflecting on India’s shifting political landscape. Major exhibitions include his first U.S. survey, “Mother,” at MoMA PS1 (2024–25), and The Levee at the Cincinnati Art Museum (2019). He has published numerous books, including The Coast (2019), The Levee (2020), and Things Felt But Not Quite Expressed (2024), and has received multiple awards such as the Eye Art & Film Prize 2025.
Sohrab Hura is an Indian photographer born in 1981. He lives in New Delhi and is known for autobiographical and documentary projects addressing social and personal themes. He became a member of Magnum Photos in 2014.
Selected Works & Key Projects
A source-backed introduction to individual photographs and significant bodies of work.
Key projects
Project
Life is Elsewhere
"Life is Elsewhere" is the photographic and textual series through which Sohrab Hura first gained wide attention, begun in 2005 during repeated road trips across India. The project interweaves color snapshots of the landscape, roadside life, and disorienting details with flash-lit close-ups of his mother, who had been diagnosed with a mental illness. Hura works diaristically, combining rough, immediate visuals with handwritten text to convey a sense of dislocation and longing. Recognized as a watershed in contemporary Indian photography, it normalized subjective, emotionally driven testimony within documentary practice. The series is selected because it established Hura's signature merging of autobiography and social observation, directly influencing his later, more experimental projects.
View source ↗-
2011
Career milestone
Joined Magnum Photos as a nominee
Sohrab Hura was nominated to Magnum Photos, beginning his affiliation with the cooperative.
Source: Magnum Photos Verified Sep 3, 2026
-
2012
Photobook
First monograph 'Life is Elsewhere' published
Sohrab Hura's first book, 'Life is Elsewhere', was published, bringing together his early photographic series.
Source: Wikipedia Verified Sep 3, 2026
-
2014
Career milestone
Became full member of Magnum Photos
Sohrab Hura was elevated to full membership at Magnum Photos, solidifying his status in the cooperative.
Source: Magnum Photos Verified Sep 3, 2026
Representation
Magnum Photos
Sohrab Hura is a represented photographer and full member of Magnum Photos, a cooperative of photographers.
Verified 2026-09-03Magnum Photos
Magnum Photos: Sohrab Hura (opens a new site)
An official biography of Sohrab Hura from his agency, detailing his background and key projects.
Sohrab Hura – Artist Talk (opens a new site)
A recording of a talk or interview where Sohrab Hura discusses his work and artistic process.
COMMUNITY DISCUSSION
Discuss this entry
Share interpretations, reading notes, and source-aware questions. For catalog corrections, use the feedback form below.
No discussion yet. Start the first focused conversation.
Sign in to join the discussion.
Optionally receive a digest when related photobooks are added to the catalog.
See something incorrect? Sign in to suggest a correction or report an issue.



