Nima Chozom stands fixated on something we cannot see, holding her long hair into four distinct locks, with a beautiful play of light and shadows on her face. Her expression, neither plaintive nor fierce, exudes a quietly powerful feeling. Behind her, out of focus, is a fence that leads onto a barren hill. This is just one in a series of stunning portraits captured by Serena Chopra that record the lives of Bhutan’s citizens.
The first thing you notice about ‘Bhutan Echoes’, a new photo exhibition on display at Tasveer art gallery, Bangalore, is the breadth of experiences it records and the time and painstaking efforts taken to do this. It has beautifully crafted black-and-white images that were accumulated by Serena over 12 years of travel and interacting with people in the country, and features everything from a casual basketball match in Thimphu to yak herders in the hills to people dancing in a nightclub. It also has stark and powerful images of women in Bhutan, in their homes and outdoors, including one of the queen of Bhutan lounging in her palace. Serena has had a preoccupation with the country for over a decade now, and her first visual study of it was showcased in Bhutan, New York and New Delhi in 2007 (the year the King Jigme Sinye Wangchuck voluntarily handed over his throne to his son) and noted the effects of technological changes in the country.
Serena Chopra has used her skills in photography and journalism to delve into the lives and traditions of several communities across India, from her newest project Majnu ka Tilla Diaries, which documents the residents of a well-known Tibetan colony in Delhi, to previous works on Naga sadhus’ participation in the Kumbh Mela and traces of French lives in Chandernagore, West Bengal.
Here are some of the most striking photographs from the exhibition which is on display at Tasveer art gallery in Bengaluru until mid-November. (The first and last photographs are not part of the exhibition.)
Serena outside the Gengo Village Ihakhang with local women. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Nima Chozom in Merak village, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2005. Photo courtesy Tasveer, Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Phurba Yangzom in Merak village, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2005. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Yangchen and her best friend Lakey at home, Silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
The former Queen of Bhutan, Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck, at home in her palace in Thimphu, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Shyam in his salon in Thimphu, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Pema Lhamo, Yeshi Dema and Pema Wangmo at the Shechen Ogyen Chodzong Nyingmapa Buddhist Nunnery, Sisina. Silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Dorji and her son by their kitchen hearth in Rukha village, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
Lexang Pem Dechen and Kesang Wangchuk in traditional wedding attire in Babesa, near Thimphu, silver gelatin print with selenium toning, 2004. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.
After the Yak Cham performance, Serena Chopra with the Brokpa. Photo courtesy Tasveer. Copyright: Serena Chopra.