From the family albums of Juju Bhai Dhakhwa, an amateur photographer from Patan. Dhakhwa photographed family, friends, and neighbours, who invited him to events knowing that he would bring his camera along. Unlike most of the images of Newar communities created by historians and anthropologists, Dhakhwa’s photographs show a sliver of the Newar community as seen by a young man who represents the first generation of urban Nepali youth. This was a generation that enjoyed newly imported Russian motorbikes and Bollywood inspired three-piece suits. Here, with a casually dangled cigarette to share, two brothers brace for speed. Original: 35mm. Courtesy: Juju Bhai Dhakhwa.
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

People’s Histories and Archives Central to a New Photo Festival in Nepal

Raising the profile of local photographers while raising money for post-earthquake reconstruction, what’s not to admire about the upcoming, inaugural Photo Kathmandu? Oh, and there’s jazz too.

This autumn, a new photography festival Photo Kathmandu will bring powerful images and vital debate together in Nepal’s capital. This edition, the first of many organisers hope, launches in collaboration with JazzMandu. It will be the first time a photography festival and jazz festival come together in Asia.

From November 3rd to 9th, digital and print exhibitions will combine photography, music and oral testimonies to explore the history of Nepal and the theme of “Time”. The festival will serve a pressing need after the frenzy of the earthquake by providing the Nepali public space to pause, to reflect upon the past and to think about the future of Nepal. The organisers want to bring people together while elevating the voices of local artists, bringing their work into the global limelight.

Description: In this morning trek, the valley untangles itself from sleep as it slowly wakes up with the rising sun. Original: 35mm film. Courtesy: Ron Elliott
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

A Long Time Planning

The seed for this week of celebration and remembrance was sown years ago.

In 2007, NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati and Bhushan Shilpakar — the creative entrepreneurs behind Photo Circle and Nepal Picture Library (NPL)— began hosting informal events at which Nepali photographers, young and old, could share and discuss their work.

Kakshapati and Shilpakar soon realized two essential gaps. First, Nepali photographers needed more access to training and time to distill greater meaning and narratives from their onging work. Stuck in the daily grind of news photography, Nepali professionals had little time to delve into their archives and reflect. Cohesive narratives were few and far between.

Second, what archives did exist, professional and amateur, were inaccessible to the public; they weren’t adding to public knowledge as they could. Essential photographic histories of the region lay nascent in disparate personal archives. The generations that had seen Nepal find its independence and transition from monarchy to democracy would soon pass. These documents needed respect and preservation.

Description: Photographed in the studio of their home, we see Amrit Bahadur Chitrakar’s mother (on the right) and her sister (on the left). When Amrit’s mother couldn’t give birth for ten years, Amrit’s father married her sister. Then, both women gave birth to healthy children with a gap of ten months between births. Since both of Amrit’s mothers were sisters, he says that he felt no rivalry in the house. Amrit’s biological mother, sadly, passed away when he was four-months-old and knowing that he had another mother consoled him. Courtesy: Amrit Bahadur Chitrakar. Original: Glass Plate 6.5X4.7 in (16.5 x 12 cm).
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

Continuing To Build Nepal’s Photo Expertise

Photo Circle convened storytelling and editing workshops with eminent photographers like Philip Blenkinsop, Munem Wasif, Mads Nissen and Sohrab Hura. It built partnerships with Pathshala in Bangladesh, Asia’s most prestigious photography school and organizers of the pioneering Chobi Mela, thus securing semester-long scholarships for Nepali photographers abroad.

In 2010, Kakshapati and Shilpakar founded the Nepal Picture Library and painstakingly created a digital archive of over 52,000 images drawn from photo studios, family albums and photojournalists. It is the first image collection to document Nepali history from an inclusive, far-reaching and bottom-up perspective.

Over the last 5 years, through regular lectures, exhibitions and publications in collaboration with academic, political and cultural groups, Photo Circle and Nepal Picture Library have, in Kathmandu, created an interdisciplinary and community-based approach to photography. The Photo Kathmadnu festival continues this track record of generosity and mutual support.

Meera Shrestha at Central Zoo, Kathmandu (1978). Photographer Renu Tuladhar met Shrestha in 1978, during tuition classes at Padma Kanya Campus. This photo was part of the Photographs of Friendship exhibition that showcased special relationships between Nepali women in the 60s and 70s. Women and girls in this collection of photographs challenged boundaries of marriage and families, and insisted on having friendships outside the home, creating more spaces for themselves. Original: Print 3.4 in x 2.7 in (8.636 cm x 6.858 cm). Courtesy: Renu Tuladhar
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 15 in (30.48 x 38 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100.

People and Priorities at Photo Kathmandu

Photo Kathmandu 2015 will display archival images from the Nepal Picture Library in tandem with the work of renowned photographers Philip Blenkinsop, Kevin Bubriski and others.

Bubriski lived in Nepal through the 70s and 80s and has been returning regularly to document the region. His body of work spans 40 years, much of it from rural areas that have been neglected. Speaking to me from Kathmandu, he was unequivocal about the transformation he sees in the Nepali photo community,

“In 1975, there were a handful of very fine old, traditional Nepali photo studios,” recalls Bubriski. “They were famous for having done the royal portraits and glass plate negatives in the early 20th century. But apart from this, Nepal was represented by Western photographers who were only interested in the snowy mountain peaks and sherpas carrying heavy loads.”

Patan Durbar Square by Kevin Bubriski.

“[In the 80s] it was all about the romance of the climbing industry and the ethnic exotic qualities of Nepal,” says Bubriski. “That’s what has really changed now — Nepali photographers understand the fine art and the commercial world of photography and Photo Circle is part of that.”

Photographer Philip Blenkinsop brings his decades of experience and principled philosophy to Photo Kathmandu. A reclusive documentarian who has been living in Thailand since he was in his twenties, Blenkinsop embedded with the Maoist guerrillas in Nepal in the early 2000s, and witnessed the epic street scenes of Kathmandu the day after the royal massacre in 2001.

“The sight of the bodies being carried through the medieval streets by the royal bodyguards had a Shakespearean quality to it” recalls Blenkinsop. “I was so privileged to see and share that week with the Nepali people, I decided then and there that I would keep coming back.”

And he has. In the past decade, he has taught scores of Nepali photographers. Blenkinsop has a deep appreciation for the dedication not just to the visual arts but to documenting history that he sees in this group.

“It’s often people from the outside that come in and decide that they want to do something. But here its really grassroots. You have two people like Kakshapati and Shilpakar whose reputation precedes them because they have empathy, compassion and have already demonstrated how devoted they are to this cause,” he says.

“We made the trip from Nepalganj on a horse-drawn cart. Vijaya (the man holding the body in the photograph), his brother and I sat with Sunita’s body (Vijaya’s wife) resting on our legs. After stopping at the family home for people to say goodbye, we continued our trip to the river. As Vijaya was checking the depth along the river— looking for a place fit for immersion of the body — a man passed by and began to berate them. Vijaya belonged to a lower caste and this man was of a higher class. I could see that Vijaya and his brother were frightened by his behavior. I intervened, on their behalf, and Vijaya was able to complete the final rites. After the body had been immersed, Vijaya turned to me with a look in his eyes… I’ll never forget… It meant everything to him.” Philip Blenkinsop, 2004.

Both Kakshapati and Shilpakar were consumed by the relief effort in the month after the earthquake, running emergency missions to areas where no water, food or support had reached for several days.

Mere months after that massive natural and national disaster, coordinating an international photography gathering is a challenge of a new order.

“It’s a brave decision,” says Blenkinsop. “It really shows their generosity of spirit because the festival is going to be ten-fold more difficult to organize after this trauma. But I think spiritually, and in terms of giving back a sense of hope and pride, it is an amazing thing for Kakshapati, Shilpakar and all the organisers to do.”

Bhojpur. Assistant Panchayat officer leads training session for Panchayat members in an extremely remote part of Bhojpur district, February 1965. This was the first time a training officer had ever come this far north in the district. He was training them in how to conduct a democratic meeting, emphasizing the equality of all members. Courtesy: Larry Daloz.
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm). Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

Can a Photo Festival Help Restore and Revive?

In the days I spent with Photo Circle before the earthquake, I had wondered what another photo festival, in a region already proliferating in them, could mean for Nepal. After the earthquake, the question seemed to become prescient, what role could a photo festival play in restoration, in reconstruction?

Kakshapati admits that, in the wake of so much devastation, especially to the historical area of Patan that is to serve as the nerve centre of the entire project, the festival seemed to have become a distant, if almost impossible, reality.

“The physical space around which the idea had been built was destroyed,” she said, “But we realized we could cherish the memory of these fallen places and provide a positive space for reflection.”

Shyam Mohan Shrestha remembers a lot of “outsiders” such as this Chaudhary man coming to his father to be photographed. The landowners of Tansen would call the Tharus up from the plains of Bhairahawa and Dang for Dasain and Tihar. The Tharus journeyed on foot, bringing ducks, chicken and grain for the festivities. Here, this young Tharu man is clearly dressed to impress with a blazer over his linens and his hair combed to the side. His stance in this portrait evokes careful power, Tanse, Palpa. Original: Glass plate 6.5 x 4.7 in (16.5 x 12 cm) Courtesy: Ravi Mohan Shrestha.
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm. Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

The Need To Reflect On Shared Social History

Muna Gurung is a Nepali author based in New York City. She remembers her experience with the first Nepal Picture Library outdoor exhibition in Kathmandu vividly. Addressing shared humanity publicly through art is vital she says.

“One of the images contributed was from my mother’s collection. To see her family’s photo displayed to the world as art, as something important, was such an empowering gesture for my mother and my family,” says Gurung.

“With a later exhibition, Our Gurkhas, my father, who is a retired Singaporean Gurkha officer, was able to see images and read stories of his platoon mates and friends. For the first time, my baba was able to have an experience of his own life outside of himself, was able to study it as something other than just an experience he had that will wither with him,” says Gurung. “With these exhibitions, they were able to claim ownership of the process of history, art making and the place itself. I think Nepal Picture Library has been the most unique and engaging example of how we have been, are and can be active in creating our own personal histories.”

Two women in the midst of a traditional dance, in Bhojpur, in 1964. In general, women were reluctant to dance in public, and though they were clearly accustomed to dancing and enjoyed doing so, they only danced as the evening grew late and the raksi flowed more freely. Original: 35mm film. Courtesy: Larry Daloz.
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 18 in (30.48 x 45.72 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100. Buy this archival print here.

Raising Awareness, Raising Money

There is also a more concrete effort underway to support reconstruction. A special print sale has been launched in conjunction with the festival with images curated from Nepal Picture Library, the Peace Corps Nepal Photo History Project and contemporary Nepali photographers. (Links to the works in this article are included in the captions)

All the funds will go to the Kathmandu Valley Preservation Trust (KVPT) to support the rebuilding of patis — community spaces — in Patan.

“We realized that funds to rebuild the larger temples will probably come from major donors and the government, but the smaller shrines and patis will struggle to thrive again,” explained Kakshapati. “We want to work with KVPT to focus on those areas — the communities which will be neglected. It is important to preserve the spaces that are the locus for social interaction.”

Contributor: Bill Hanson; Year: 1968; Place: Chainpur. Bill Hanson met the the patient in this photo in Chainpur and he agreed to carry Hanson’s belongings to Namche; but on the way there, he suffered a toothache. Unable to take the pain, he stopped another man who was also going downhill with a load, and asked him to pull his tooth out. And just like that, pliers came out from the other man’s pack. Kneeling on a straw mat with a cigarette perched on his lips, the dentist effortlessly pulled out the tooth releasing Hanson’s companion from pain. And everyone was on their merry way. Buy this archival print here.

The city of Patan, where Photo Kathmandu 2015 will be anchored, lost many of its important heritage sites in the April 2015 earthquakes. Prior to the earthquakes, wandering its narrow streets was a bewitching experience. Ornate wooden windows leaning in overhead, statuettes appearing in unexpected corners, white stupas emerging tranquil and proud, chai shops spilling out onto the road, one was awakened to all the possibilities of living in a serene old world. Many of these charms have been saved and others rebuilt. The historic Durbar Square recently re-opened to the public.

Photo Kathmandu pays homage to these public spaces built by the city’s inhabitants that weave seamlessly into their daily life. They want the festival to intertwine in a similar way into the fabric of Patan. An old water tank can still be used an amphitheatre for digital projections. A courtyard can be turned into an exhibition space. A home may host a lecture.

“That sense of intimacy, of displaying stories that have emerged from particular communities, among the families whose histories are a part of that story, is essential,” says Kakshapati.

Mukunda Bahadur Shrestha became the first official photographer of the Nepal Tourism Department and spent the 70s and 80s traveling across Nepal, photographing landscapes, cultures and people presenting Nepal to the rest of the world through postcards, brochures, posters and travel magazines. This photograph was taken in the house of Shrestha’s friend, Kedar, a high-ranking police officer and spy for the government. The lady featured in this photograph, who also appears in Shrestha’s other photos, is Kedar’s sister, (1964). Original: 120mm film. Courtesy: Mukunda Bahadur Shrestha.
PRINT DETAILS: Size: 12 x 12 in (30.48 x 30.48 cm). Paper: Hahnemühle Fine Art Inkjet. Edition of 100.

Shaping Nepal’s Visual Future Based On Knowledge Of The Past

With its soaring peaks, magnificent temples and peaceful people, Nepal has always been — to the rest of the world — an idealized “picture postcard” destination. The recent earthquakes have created a new type of disaster-imagery that will remain in people’s memories for a long time and supplement the Himalayan backdrop with new associations.

Nepal’s nuance— its Maoist revolution, its recent democracy yet without a constitution, its thriving artistic and academic communities still fighting deep caste divides, its newly forged resilience where people came together to provide relief in spite of absent formal plans for long term rebuilding — needs to be seen and critically engaged at home and abroad.

“A festival is a means to create access, to bring decision-makers to these parts. To bring them out of their comfort zones and give them an experience of this world. It is not possible to imagine realities here sitting in a desk office in New York or London or Paris. So that has to happen,” says Kakshapati. “Nepali photographers are never on the priority list. For the Nepali community, it is very important to have something here. That’s the crux of it. Those bridges need to be built.”

You’re Welcome

Mark your calendars and book your tickets. Something important is fomenting here. The late Charles Corres, a visionary Indian architect once said,

“When we say art builds bridges, it does not mean the exclusion of roots. On the contrary, without roots, there can be no foundations to the bridge you are building. Roots and bridges are not opposites — they are the dialectic elements that create the artist and the world in which he lives. Together […] they constitute the very essence of the artistic process. And this is why, as the world shrinks into an ever smaller and smaller place, art represents a phenomenon that could prove crucial to our survival.”

Photo Kathmandu will build new bridges. Its founders have pedigree and support. The concept has deep set roots. After surviving an earthquake, the people of Kathmandu are turning to art and to one another. Join them.

Follow Photo Kathmandu on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Alisha Sett is a writer based in India. She wrote about photographers’ response to the Nepal Earthquake, for Vantage, in May 2015.

A version of this article was published in Homegrown magazine.