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Capturing a Legacy C

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Capturing a Legacy C Exhibition: September 30, 2018 – January 6, 2019 East-West Center Gallery, Honolulu, Hawai‘i DEVOTEES AT PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE IN KATHMANDU, 2018, PHOTOGRAPHER: NAVESH CHITRAKAR TChe Eaast-pWestt Ceunter rArtis Pnrogrgam praesen tsLegacy Four Generations of Nepalese Photographers Curator: Cristeena Chitrakar Capturing a Legacy: Four Generations of profession-based caste system. It was East-West Center Gallery Curator: CNepalese Photographers tells the story then that the ‘Chitrakars,’ meaning Michael Schuster of the legacy of the Chitrakar family as ‘painters,’ acquired their status. The Photographers: Dirgha Man Chitrakar artists and visual documentarians. Chitrakars traditionally learned their Ganesh Man Chitrakar Nepal has witnessed dramatic political painting skills under the tutelage of Kiran Man Chitrakar and cultural changes and this photo - their fathers and to this day members Swaraj Man Chitrakar graphic exhibition captures key moments of the community continue to create Gopal Chitrakar in Nepal’s history through the lens of traditional paintings for specific rituals. Navesh Chitrakar four generations of photographers. In With the introduction of photography to Installation Design: Lynne Najita the 14th century, the inhabitants of the Nepal in the late 1800s, many Chitrakars Coordinator: Eric Chang Kathmandu Valley were divided into a also began to work in this medium. Dirgha Man and Ganesh Man captured images of Nepal when it was closed to the outside world and access to photography was limited, especially during the Rana Dynasty. Photography was restricted to the ruling and elite classes as a way to symbolize their privileged status. However, after the end of the Rana rule, photography took a different shape in the private and public spheres. Photography was adopted by the state, international agencies, and the public to tell a national story of development. The content shifted from portraits and political ritual to photo - graphs of development, the land, and the people. Kiran Man and Swaraj Man are respectively the grandson and great- PRIME MINISTER CHANDRA SHAMSHER J. B. RANA WITH FAMILY, grandson of Dirgha Man. Keeping within DETAIL: MONKEY AT PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE, 2018, PHOTOGRAPHER: RANA DYNASTY, 1910S, PHOTOGRAPHER: DIRGHA MAN CHITRAKAR the tradition of artists, the needs of the SWARAJ MAN CHITRAKAR state, and changes in technology, this Dirgha Man Chitrakar (1877-1951) family moved from painting to photography as visual documentarians. Yet, by was one of the early pioneers of and then to videography. Kiran Man contrast, Gopal and Navesh come from photography in Nepal. An adept painter worked as a cameraman for the national a family of businessmen and sweets from a young age, he also embraced television station in Nepal and is also a makers. Although some generations ago photography. During the Rana Dynasty, third-generation photographer. Swaraj they were painters, their family departed he was employed as a court painter and Man followed in his forefathers’ footsteps from the tradition. Growing up, Gopal photographer in the palace of Prime as a fourth-generation photographer was tired of being asked if as a Chitrakar Minister Chandra Shamsher (ruled 1901- and explores new perspectives on he could paint. He then trained as an 1929) and also accompanied the Prime traditional subjects and compositions. artist and later took up photography. He Minister during his visit to England and Gopal, Kiran Man’s brother-in-law, has since worked as a photojournalist France in 1908. He documented the and Gopal’s nephew, Navesh, also work and is also a painter. Many Chitrakars Shah kings and ruling Rana Dynasty prime ministers, their families, political ceremonies, religious rituals, and hunting expeditions. The Rana Dynasty prime ministers were the hereditary aristocracy that ruled Nepal from 1846 to 1951. When Dirgha Man retired at the age of 71, his son Ganesh Man Chitrakar (1916-1985) inherited his position. Trained under his father, Ganesh Man worked in the Rana palace until 1951 when the Rana rule came to an end. At this time, Nepal also opened to the outside world and the first development organizations set up offices in the country. Ganesh Man was employed as a photographer by the USAID Communication and Media Department and then later by UNESCO. He extensively documented new development throughout Nepal, the landscape of Kathmandu Valley, and the surrounding cities. Later in 1975, he opened a black-and-white photo studio named Ganesh Photo Lab. ARIAL VIEW OF SWAYAMBHU, BUDDHIST HOLY SITE, KATHMANDU, 1950S, PHOTOGRAPHER: GANESH MAN CHITRAKAR have moved away from their traditional profession, but Gopal is one of the few Chitrakars who is well known as a painter. His nephew, Navesh, was inspired by Gopal to become a photojournalist. His focus has largely been on current events, festivals, culture, lifestyle, and creating stories with a modern approach. His work has been featured in international magazines and newspapers. The Chitrakar family history is intertwined with Nepal’s political history. As painters, photographers, and cameramen through the generations, these Chitrakars have made important contributions to Nepal’s international visibility. Politics and imagery are deeply connected, and photography can be utilized as a tool to promote political and social agendas. Gopal, Kiran Man, MEMBERS OF THE MAOIST PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY, 2006, PHOTOGRAPHER: GOPAL CHITRAKAR and Navesh worked as journalists for national and international news agencies. Nepal’s unique cultural heritage leaves us a rich visual legacy to derive Unlike Dirgha Man and Ganesh Man has also been a subject for these tremendous amounts of information. who were invisible documentarians photographers as Nepal is exposed For the past thirty years, Kiran Man has working for the courts, photographers to many threats such as negligence, been taking photographs of landscapes now have recognition, but more urbanization, mass tourism, pollution, from the same locations as his importantly, also have the freedom of and vandalism. Safeguarding cultural forefathers, to show the transformations creativity and imagination. Photography heritage is a national priority. Further, over time. Similarly, Kathmandu and its today is more than just the mechanical the 2015 earthquakes significantly urban landscape have been inspirational capturing of images, and the exhibition’s damaged cultural heritage sites, some for Navesh and Swaraj Man. series of photographs on politics irreversibly. These photographs remain Photography has evolved exponen - illustrates the shift from formal reporting a testimony to Nepal’s heritage sites and tially since its invention. Digital imagery to storytelling. landscape, and the surviving imagery has changed the way we take and view photographs, and new technologies have made it easier to capture, share, and circulate images. Furthermore, these technologies have assisted in preserving old images through digitization. The glass plate negatives that Dirgha Man created and the acetate negatives that Ganesh Man, Gopal, and Kiran Man developed have been digitally archived, and images from a hundred years ago are displayed together with photographs from today. The recurring theme of a changing Nepal—the politics, heritage and culture, the sprawl of urbanization, the lifestyle, and infrastructural transformation—are evident in this collection of images that span more than one hundred years. Additionally, themes of conservation, tourism, climate change, and changing attitudes toward women demonstrate Nepal’s participation in global discourses. —Cristeena Chitrakar ARIAL VIEW OF SWAYAMBHU, BUDDHIST HOLY SITE, KATHMANDU, 2010, PHOTOGRAPHER: KIRAN MAN CHITRAKAR The East-West Center promotes better relations and understanding among the people and nations of the United States, Asia, and the Pacific through cooperative study, research, and dialogue. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1960, the Center serves as a resource for information and analysis on critical issues of common concern, bringing people together to exchange views, build expertise, and develop policy options. The Center is an independent, public, nonprofit organization with funding from the U.S. government, and additional support provided by private agencies, individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments in the region. The East-West Center Arts Program for ANG TSHRING SHERPA PLAYS A SHOT AT KONGDE, 2009, PHOTOGRAPHER: GOPAL CHITRAKAR nearly 40 years has enriched the community through concerts, exhibitions, and community engagement Special Events focused on arts of the Asia Pacific region, and by In the EWC Gallery with free admission, open seating, no reservations arranging cultural and educational programs by Guided exhibition tours will be offered Sundays at 3:00 p.m. (no tours Dec. 2 & Jan. 6) artists who are skilled in bridging cultures. These programs highlight aspects of Nepalese culture, as well as the transmission of cultural legacies in Hawai‘i and abroad. EWC Arts Team: Karen Knudsen, director, Office of External Affairs; Eric Chang, arts program Sunday, September 30, 2:00 –3:30 p.m. Sunday, November 18, 2:00 –3:00 p.m. coordinator; Michael Schuster, Ph.D., curator; Annie Exhibition Gala Opening including Illustrated Talk: “Incorporation of Reynolds, arts program assistant; William Feltz, reception and walkthrough by exhibition Hinduism and Buddhism into Rich adjunct arts specialist; June Kuramoto, program curator, Cristeena Chitrakar. Newari Culture in Nepal” by
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