Arhant Shrestha: Loose Fist

For Arhant Shrestha, photography is a way of exploring the invisible. Although Nepal introduced anti-discrimination reforms in 2007 and recognized a third gender in 2013, homophobia still exists, and with it, violence.A victim of homophobic assault, Arhant Shrestha uses images to conjure up fear of others and judgment. Here, in carefully staged fictional scenes, he photographs members of Kathmandu's queer community, offering a counterpoint to candid flash photos of crowds of ultra-masculine men at traditional festivals. He questions our perception of masculinity, our relationship to appearance, intimacy, and otherness. His photographs immerse us in this nightlife, where identities are revealed, blurred, and confronted, and where gender categories become porous. Scenes of tenderness mingle with others where people size each other up and confront each other. The chiaroscuro lighting betrays a latent violence and evokes the darkness of Caravaggio's paintings: the light contrasts sharply with the areas of shadow to reveal the bodies. The tight framing gives the individuals a strong physical presence—hands, faces, gestures, and gazes are captured in the moment of the collective. Pages from Arhant Shrestha's diary, written after his assault, punctuate the sequence of images and mark the stages of his reappropriation of identity.This series is accompanied by an interview between Arhant Shrestha and Coco Capitán—artist and jury president—with Simon Baker, curator; as well as an essay by Alona Pardo, curator and director of the Arts Council Collection, which questions representations of masculinity; and a new short story by British writer Deborah Levy, a great dramatist of intimate and secret relationships, inspired by this series.
ISBN 9782365114509. Atelier EXB. hb. 104 pages. 39 colour ills. 22 x 17 cm.
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