Facing the Camera: A History of Nepali Studio Photography

“Facing the Camera: ­ A History of Nepali Studio Photography” is an exhibition that traces the evolution of Nepali studio photography. With a playful examination of how people expressed themselves through their style, possessions and posture, the exhibition explores issues of progression and self­identity in four different time periods: “The Early Photographers”, “The Early Clients”, “Rebelling and Experimenting” and “The Digital Era”.

The exhibition was curated by photo.circle sourcing material from the 52,000+ images in Nepal Picture Library’s digital collection. It has been made possible with support from the Danish Center for Culture and Development (CKU).

Over the past five years, Nepal Picture Library (NPL) has collected and digitized a unique collection of historical photographs from family albums, photo studios, and personal and institutional collections from across the country. In addition to creating public access to the archival material through exhibitions, publications, slideshows and festivals, NPL has developed teaching tools and educational material for teachers and schools to offer an alternative approach to teaching/learning history in public and private schools.

By offering curated exhibitions to Patan Museum, Nepal Picture Library strives to reinforce its collaborations with public museums and other cultural institutions to take more inclusive historical narratives to a wider public.

The exhibition will be on view at the Patan Museum until 12 August 2016. Nepal Picture Library will partner with Patan Museum to offer a range of public programming such as talks and guided tours for schools in the next 3 months.