Vidura Jang Bahadur has lived and worked in China for over three years as a freelance photographer/ filmmaker. His first exhibition of photographs on China ‘Meiyou Wenti’ was shown at the India International Centre in 2003.
The artist, whose existence could be termed as nomadic, finds his thrills in the presence of humanity. The landscapes in his pictorial compositions serve as a setting for human interaction. At times communication in his works is defined and transcribed through the mere presence of personal ‘things’.
He is currently based in Delhi and is working on a photo project on the Chinese community in India
Tsampa on my shoulder
13TH August- 8th September, 2007
Vidura first visited Tibet in July 2004 with a film crew, working on a tele-film on the 1904 Younghusband mission to Lhasa, shooting film stills in addition to acting the part of the narrators’ Sikh attendant. He visited Tibet again the same year documenting Diego Azubel’s journey as he walked across Tibet, retracing Nain Singh’s steps.
‘Tsampa on my shoulder’ is a visual chronicle of Vidura’s journeys across Tibet. He traveled extensively across the plateau, to intimately explore and photograph the lives of the people of Tibet
In speaking of the meaning and significance of Tsampa, Vidura says-
‘Tsampa, roasted barley ground into flour, is the staple diet in Tibet. It is also used in religious ceremonies and to mark a joyous occasion, by throwing pinches of tsampa in the air. This is said to be an offering to the Gods asking for their protection, praying for them to remove all obstacles from your path and that of others.
I first ate tsampa, in a tent, with a family of nomads. Pouring a little butter tea onto the tsampa in my bowl they showed me how to knead it into a little ball. It took me time to learn, my hosts patiently initiating me into this art which came to them with natural ease. When I had finished, I broke the ball into little pieces, eating it with sugar and yak cheese to add to the taste.
Over the many months that I traveled in Tibet, there were many such occasions. People I met on the road and in the villages would invite me home to drink a glass of chang and share a meal of tsampa with them. This shared intimacy enabled me to get an insight into their lives.
On leaving their homes, people would garland me with khata's, and at times, they would take a pinch of tsampa , dab a little on my shoulder and throw the rest in the air to wish me luck on my journey.’
The current body of works comprises 32 untitled, black and white photographs printed on Hahnemuhle Photo Rag Bright White paper which is 100% cotton rag, acid free, using UltraChrome K3 new generation pigment ink.
On View from: 13th August to 8th September, 2007
Time: 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
(Monday – Saturday)
Venue: Bodhi Art,
Grand Mall, LG-1-5,
Mehrauli Gurgaon Road,
Gurgaon
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment