Philip Lieberman
Kathmandu, Mrs. Thapa
Kathmandu, Mrs. Thapa
photograph
16" x 20"
2009
16" x 20"
2009
October 25 through November 13, 2009
Philip Lieberman: A Visual Journal: Images of Laos, Nepal, and Northwest India 2006-2009
Philip LiebermanPhilip Lieberman: A Visual Journal: Images of Laos, Nepal, and Northwest India 2006-2009
Artist’s Statement
Three South-Asian countries: the only connection is my photographer’s eye, and my perception of what is visually arresting and meaningful. The camera is my notebook, freezing a moment never to be seen again.
Laos is emerging from the devastation of the wars in Indochina. Its communist government is autocratic but rules with a light hand, and allows the people, who profess Theravada Buddhism, to worship without restraint. For most, in this very poor country, daily life is slowly getting better.
Ladakh, a remote region in Northwest India, is geologically the western edge of the Tibetan plateau, placed by the complex circumstances of a long, intricate history on the Indian side of the border. Sheltered from the ravages of the Chinese occupation in Tibet, Ladakh is a pocket of pristine Tibetan culture, to which the Indian government is bringing careful, incremental development.
Nepal, no longer a kingdom, is a dysfunctional democracy, struggling to reinvent itself, where for many each day is a struggle to survive. These photographs of Kathmandu were taken outside the tourist circuit, in parts of the city unseen by visitors. Entire families often live in a single, small room, often without even a window. A bed, shared by all, occupies most of the floor space, with the remaining corner serving as the kitchen. There is no toilet and water must be dragged in from outside. Education is neither free nor compulsory. I was able to visit these dwellings because my wife works with Hands In Outreach, a small, nonprofit organization that enables about 100 desperately poor children to attend school through sponsorships.