Laxmi Prasad Ngakhusi is a photojournalist who has covered Nepal in all its facets over the past decades. Noted for his nature photography, he won the WCN Nature and Wildlife Photography Competition in the ‘Human Interaction with Nature’ category in 2009.
After the earthquake Ngakhusi began a photographic exploration of how people dealt with nature’s wrath. In his seventh solo exhibition, Rising from the Rubble at the Nepal Art Council till 2 August, he wanted to show the fortitude of the Nepali people after the 25 April earthquake. He said: “I hope my pictures will bring hope.”
The 54 pictures show the moments before and after the earthquake, and most of the photographs of the aftermath were taken while on assignment for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which sponsored the exhibition.
“Laxmi accompanied us on field trips, and we felt the images convey an incredible message of hope,” said UNDP Country Director Renaud Meyer.
Rising from the Rubble shows pictures of people smiling amidst the ruins of homes, people going about their daily rituals despite the disruption to their lives brought by the disaster. There are many pictures that are photographic proof of how communities came together to help each other. The picture of a candlelight vigil around a replica of Dharara made of hollow petrol drum in Sanepa, the one depicting locals helping each to clear the rubble are iconic images of the last three months.
The most dramatic images are those in which Ngakhusi displays panoramic pictures of the palace squares of Patan, Kathmandu (picture) and Bhaktapur before and after 25 April. The images are taken from the same spot and highlight the loss. Here, desolation somehow outweighs hope.
With such beautiful pictures, we wished the exhibition was displayed with a more narrative sequence. It seems the first level is dedicated to photographs taken before the earthquake, but there is nothing to clearly indicate this. On the second floor, pictures of ruins lose their intensity as they are next to photographs apparently taken before 25 April. The captions need to answer the 4Ws and better interpret the pictures and magnify their impact.
The money from the sale of photographs will go to the Community Art Centre, an initiative by Artudio which organises art therapy workshops for children in affected areas.
The plan is to take the exhibition around Nepal. Said Meyer: “We want to give Laxmi’s pictures more exposure to sensitise the people not affected by the earthquake. It is important that they know what their fellow citizens have endured.”
Read also:
Murals of hope, Stéphane Huët
Art aid for Nepal, Stéphane Huët
Protecting the ruins, Sarthak Mani Sharma