17.000KM: Photo Exhibition

For the first time, here in Santiago, Chile and abroad, there is a chance I took in order to create this photo exhibition named 17000km. This is an estimated distance in between Kathmandu, place where the photos took place, and Santiago, place where the photos are exhibited. The contrast in between these two cities is very obvious, but subtly and softly, 17000km shows a hidden reality that blossom from ordinary days in the capital city of Nepal. Schools, service buildings, public and holy places, shadows and clean bright day light conform this exhibition about what happens behind the curtain and somehow, although, we embrace the surface or not.

Involved within a yellow argument, the visual work is shown without referencial or curatorial text, aimed to reflect without contempt or thick slices of information. The photos were situations until the point they were frozen. From that point and on, ones can capture a completely different story. Although I´ll next deploy a little bit of context for the ones that are willing to know more about what un-exactly was happening those days in Kathmandu, all between January and March 2017, or 2073, the current year at that point for the local calendar. What exactly happens one second before and the next second after.

These two are one composition, taken at this Communication company Namaste. The space was so empty that one could get a phone chip and also make a photo studio without anyone noticing. This is located in the main ring of Kathmandu urban area New Baneshwar.

Apparently homeless individual roaming around this devastated, Kathmandu-like place. The area was Godavari, very close to one gubernamental school I had the chance to do some classes for a few weeks.

While going back home from the school, I had to cross the entire city spending about 2 hours at night. Public transportation runs out around 7 pm so getting home is a do or die experience once it gets very late. The three wheeler I was in allowed me to display photos looking back at this madness. The area Satdobato is the hub of transportation, going left and right.

The patio of the Asian Institute of Technology and Management, AITM, located in Lalitpur, invited me several times to share approaches about life, creativity, communications and life, again, in that order. This is the main playground she turns her own.

Having the privilege to deploy myself as a teacher in Olympia World School was nothing but emotions all the time, constantly, permanently, inside the class room or playing around the patio with the young students. This school is private education and nothing cheap for the context. This kid was not a student, but a worker, waiting the walls for other kids to enjoy.

Holy place outside a very crowded and touristic temple in Kathmandu. Pashupatinath was not only a sacred place as we speak about the place itself, but also the home to Hindu god Shiva, who was having a birthday celebration just that same week. The power of nature was called this picture before even existing, now, is just 17003km.

Spiritual man resting in my most personal linked ashram. I spent a week going there arriving close to 6 am, meditating until 10. The last day, digesting, this image was opened just in front.