LOOK AT WHAT I SEE

“LOOK AT WHAT I SEE” was the initial draft, leading to the more technical and abstract series “THE RIVER.” I first displayed this series of small pictures on the main wall at Bikalpa Art and Cultural Center in Lalitpur, Nepal.

In December 2018, I revisited a thought from 2017: “If a photographic print, whether digital or silver halide, is a tangible material, it is also a link between past and present.” This insight propelled me to explore the indigenous rites of the Newaris and Tamangs, focusing on how their traditions of memory and ritual can intersect with contemporary photographic practices.

My project, "Rivers," investigates the intersection of traditional commemorative practices and modern photography. The Gai Jatra festival, a deeply symbolic event in the Kathmandu Valley, provides a poignant backdrop for examining how rituals and ceremonies can be captured and understood through photography. This festival, dedicated to honoring the deceased, mirrors the role of photography in preserving and transmitting cultural memory.

Traditional rituals, such as those performed by the Newaris and Tamangs, are dynamic, communal, and rooted in a cyclical understanding of life and death. In contrast, photography as a static medium struggles to encapsulate the fluid and ephemeral nature of these rituals. This dichotomy raises questions about the position of contemporary art forms towards these ancient practices and what this position could say.

In "Rivers," I work on this gap by juxtaposing detailed photographs of mortuary elements with texts from Newari and Tamang traditions. By combining these visual and textual elements, I aim to create a dialogue between the past and present, questioning the boundaries of representation. Shedding the light on the significance of these cultural practices but also seeking to redefine the role and territories of photography as they are generally conceived.