Born in Kolkata, India, Swastik Pal is a visual artist working with photography and video. Pal graduated from the University of Kolkata in 2012 with a major in English and later in 2019 he completed a Masters in Film Studies from Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
After completing his graduation in 2012, the same year he started a photographic project, ‘My Uncle Tukka’ , a personal story about his deaf and mute uncle. He is keenly interested in the complex interrelation between human and environment, and has produced “The Delta Trilogy’, 2014-2024, a threechapter photo project, about the climate crisis in Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove delta.
His first solo show, ‘The Hungry Tide Project’ / Chapter 1 of ‘The Delta Trilogy’, opened at the India Habitat Centre in 2016, as a recipient of the National Media Fellowship. He is also in the process of publishing his first photo book, ‘Hill Diaries’ [2016-2019], a diary of his archive from university years.
Pal was the recipient of Alexia Student Award of Excellence in 2018 and in 2023 he was invited to join Bad Eyes Collective, an artists collective based in Bangkok, experimenting with self published photobooks. Pal has been a runner up at the Joop Swart Masterclass in 2024.
He was commissioned by NewCastle university in 2021 as a photographer and visual researcher for an international research project [2021-2023], investigating the role of global climate change in altering delta cultures, in collaboration with a global hub of scientists, researching delta culture.
His work has been published in many prestigious international outlets including The Economist UK, BBC and Financial Times amongst others. His visual stories have been exhibited around the world including the Angkor Photo Festival, Siem Reap, Academy of Fine Arts, Calcutta, Alliance Francaise , New Delhi amidst many other prestigious venues.
In 2025 he received the MurthyNayak foundation fellowship to pursue a one year certificate program in Documentary Practice: Visual storytelling Online at the International Centre of Photography in New York.
Published Works
Atmos |1843 Magazine | BBC | The Economist |Caravan Magazine | Financial Times UK | Al Jazeera | Times of India | Covid-19 Coverage | Open | Bbc | Galli | The Indian Express | Private Photo Review | Sunday Guardian | Tasveer Journal | Silvershotz | indiatimes.com | Better Photography | Quartz | MSN Weather | The Hindu – Blink | Fountain Ink | Catch News | Getty Images | Livemint| Homegrown | Amazon | Save The Children | The Wire | Scoopwhoop | Down To Earth | Centre For Science and Environment | Barcroft Media | Espn |
Exhibitions
- Foto Bali, International Photography Festival, 2025
- Re: Figuring, Emami Art 2025
- Angkor Photo Festival, 2025
- Installation of The Hungry Tide at Batumi Photo Days Festival, 2021
- Installation of The Hungry Tide at Galeria Foto-gen, Poland, 2021
- Installation of The Tide Country at Lesfocalesdupaysdauge, Normandy, France,2020
- Installation of The Hungry Tide at The India Story – A Neotia Arts Trust Initiative, 2020
- Angkor Photo Festival , Opening Night Projection, 2019
- Installation of The Hungry Tide at The India Story – A Neotia Arts Trust Initiative (2019)
- Festival Influences, Tisseurs d'Images, Beaucouzé, France (2018)
- General Assembly of World Forum of Fisher Peoples(WFFP), New Delhi, 2017
- Angkor Photo Festival & Workshops Alumni projection, 2017
- Academy of Fine Arts – curated by Probir Gupta, Calcutta,2017
- Alliance Francaise , New Delhi- Gurgaon Centre,2016
- Indian Habitat Centre, Plaza steps,2016
- Pondy Photo, 2016
- Chennai Photo Biennale, 2016
- Ian Parry Scholarship finalist group print exhibition, London, 2015
- Angkor Photo Festival, 2015
- Photo Kathmandu, 2015
- Suwon International Photo Festival, South Korea, 2015
- National Institute of Design, India, 2015
- Documentary Arts Asia Gallery, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2015
- Obscura Festival of Photography, 2015
- Chiang Mai Documentary Arts Festival, 2015
- Cafe de flore, Alliance Francaise de Pondichéry, 2015
- Indira Gandhi International Centre for the Arts, New Delhi, 2014
- Delhi Photo Festival, 2013
- Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Perth, 2011
Workshops Attended
- Invited for the Urban Water Workshop at the Chennai Photo Biennale, 2016
- Delhi Photo Festival workshop by Munem Wasif , 2013
- Angkor Photo Workshop, 2012
- Australian High Commission Workshop by Sam Harris, 2012
- Drik Workshop by Munem Wasif, India, 2012
- Changing Ideas Workshop by Kate Edward & Jonathon Torgovnik, India, 2011
Awards / Grants
- Murthy Nayak Foundation Fellowship, ICP, 2025
- Singapore International Photobook Finalist, 2025
- The Alexia Student Award of Excellence Recipient 2018
- Third Place Award in Climate category at International Photography Grant 2018.
- Nominated: Joop Swart World Press Master Class 2018
- Nominated: Joop Swart World Press Master Class 2017
- Jury Commendation: The Toto awards in association with Tasveer, 2016
- Nominated: Joop Swart World Press Master Class 2015.
- NFI National Media Fellowship: 2015
- FP Magazine Photojournalism Category | Best Author: 2015
- Jury Commendation: The Toto awards in association with Tasveer, 2015
- MFI Yes Bank National Photo Contest: Honorable mention-Daily life, 2012
- Commonwealth Photographic Awards-Exhibition, 2011
