New Delhi, Jul 24 (PTI) The French government has conferred the insignia of Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres on Rahaab Allana in recognition of his "outstanding career" as curator of contemporary South Asian photography, as well as his decisive contributions to Indo-French artistic cooperation across the years.

The French Embassy made the announcement in a statement on Wednesday.

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"On behalf of the French government, Thierry Mathou, Ambassador of France to India, conferred the insignia of Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters) on Rahaab Allana, Curator and Publisher, Alkazi Foundation for the Arts, at a special ceremony at the Embassy of France in India," it said.

The French government distinction l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) is conferred on "persons who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the field of art, culture and literature or for their contribution to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world".

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"This distinction comes in recognition of Allana's outstanding career as curator of contemporary South Asian photography, as well as his decisive contributions to Indo-French artistic cooperation across the years," the statement said.

Some noted Indian recipients of this honour in the past include Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia, Raghu Rai, Ebrahim Alkazi, Habib Tanveer, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Upamanyu Chatterjee, it said.

Throughout his career, Allana has contributed to and edited several publications and curated exhibitions on South Asian photography and its trans-national histories, working internationally with museums, universities, festivals and other arts institutions across the world, including in France, the Rencontres d'Arles, Musée du Quai Branly, Centre National des Arts Plastiques (CNAP) and more, the statement said.

He is also a fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society and was honorary research associate at University College London, the UK. He currently serves on the Arts and Culture Committee, Asia Society (India Chapter), the statement said.

Allana's artistic journey of cooperation with France spans two decades, starting with the exhibition of the Alkazi Collection at the Arles Photo Festival in 2007. Since then, he has played an instrumental role in driving Indo-French projects around lens-based art, including the curation of two multi-disciplinary photography exhibitions for Bonjour India festivals, Mutations in 2018, and Convergence in 2022.

His close association with cultural institutions in France and India also led him to be elected to the Board of Directors of Alliance française de Delhi. An ongoing research project of Allana's is the unseen legacy in South Asia of renowned French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, whom Allana deeply admires, the statement said.

"For almost 20 years, the curatorial work of Rahaab has truly helped France and India to learn from each other and change our perceptions. This decoration bestowed on him on behalf of the French government is a recognition of his remarkable achievements and invaluable role in fostering cultural exchanges between our two countries," Mathou was quoted as saying in the statement.

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