photo.circle organizing multimedia exhibition, Who does the River Belong to?

photo.circle is organizing a multimedia exhibition, Who does the River Belong to?, showcasing  the works of nine photo.circle fellows that challenge the mainstream doctrine of progress. The exhibition will be held at Nepal Art Council from December 13-22. 

“The storytellers featured in this exhibition will invite us the people to rethink the story of progress, how we have come to embody it as individuals, communities, and nation states, and how it has singularly led to the plunder of our rivers, our forests, and our lands,” reads the statement issued by photo.circle.

What is the story of progress in Godavari, where the hills were taken over to extract marble? Who do those hills belong to? What is the story of progress in Mukkumlung where locals are fighting for a forest that has been decimated to clear land for a new cable car project? Who do those forests belong to? What is the story of progress in Jogidaha where politicians have promised a new airport to their voterbanks for the last 30 years, only to clear 156 hectares of forest and sell off most of the logged wood? Who do those trees belong to? What is the story of progress for the Sunkoshi river which is being dammed and diverted for electricity and irrigation? Who does the river belong to?

“My film will showcase how a promise of an airport destroyed a community forest in Jogidaha, Udaypur,” says Deepa Shrestha, one of the fellows. “In a way this is a story that is playing out all over Nepal.” Another fellow, Sara Tunich Koinch, shares that the inherent identity crisis she experiences has driven her to undertake this research and create a visual work about the Mukkumlung forests. “We live in a fast paced world. We need to learn again how to maintain harmony with nature,” Sara says.

The works being presented emerged after a nine month fellowship program, where each fellow was paired with a mentor. “We at photo.circle hope that this exhibition ignites a wider conversation that critiques the mainstream discourse of Bikas and Samriddhi, which has been central to Nepal's state policies,” says Bunu Dhungana, one of the mentors of the program.

“With our rivers, our forests, and our lands fast disappearing, what is to happen to our food, our songs, our customs of living and dying, and our culture that is so intimately shaped by the land?” says Nayantara Gurung Kakshapati, the curator of the exhibition.

The participating artists are Aman Shahi, Amit Machamasi, Deepa Shrestha, Kishor Maharjan, Sara Tunich Koinch, Priyanka Tulachan, Samagra Shah, Sundup Dorje Lama, Sanjay Adhikari and Shreena Nepal. The exhibition includes a drumming workshop by Amamn Shahi,  Thakali cooking and storytelling sessions with Priyanka Tulachan, talk by researcher Kailash Rai and photographer Sara Tunich Koinch as well as  guided tours of the exhibition.  

Founded in 2007, photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based, artist-led organization that provides resources and support for visual storytellers, researchers, educators, and cultural producers. photo.circle runs the Nepal Picture Library, a digital archive that documents Nepal’s diverse histories, and PhotoKTM, a biennial festival that engages the public with visual culture.