The tradition & historical record
3 min read · 2 sourcesPhoto Kathmandu is a biennial international photography festival held in Patan, Nepal, and organised by photo.circle, a Kathmandu based cultural organisation, and Shikshya Foundation Nepal. The festival, managed with the help of local volunteers, features print exhibitions, workshops, talks and panel discussions, a mixed-media residency, slideshow nights, portfolio reviews and an arts and education programme. It distinguished itself by being an open-air festival, anchored in the local communities of Patan and Kathmandu, and using public spaces such as courtyards, squares, alleys and drinking fountains to exhibit photographic bodies of work and to present slideshows. At each festival, Photo Kathmandu recognises individuals who have helped the growth of Nepali photography with an Award for Excellence. 1
History
The first edition of Photo Kathmandu followed the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, during the 2015 Nepal blockade, in an effort to shift international attention back to Nepal. The festival was held in the historical city of Patan. The second edition of Photo Kathmandu took place in 2016, before going biennial. The 2018 third edition saw the creation of the South Asia Incubator 1, a programme where young and up-and-coming photography practitioners from South Asia could meet and discuss their work with each other and various mentors. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 edition was held virtually and spread over a whole year, from 3 December 2020 to 2 December 2021. The festival has exhibited works from artists such as Philip Blenkinsop, Amar Kanwar, Sohrab Hura Kevin Bubriski, Munem Wasif, and Tasneem Alsultan. 1
2015: Time
Following the 2015 earthquakes, the first edition of Photo Kathmandu looked at Nepal's past, present and future. 1
2016: Resilience
Twenty years after the end of the Nepalese Civil War, the 2016 edition focused on stories of resilience from across South Asia, showcasing and celebrating how people face and overcome hardship. A guest curator, Tanvi Mishra, co-curated the festival's exhibitions. 1
Award of Excellence
At each festival, Photo Kathmandu recognises individuals who have helped the growth of Nepali photography. 1
2015: Mani Lama. 2016: Shreedhar Lal Manandhar and Kiran Shrestha. 2018: Shahidul Alam. Jury members Bikas Rauniar, Bikas Karki and Sagar Shrestha unanimously awarded Alam, acknowledging his "instrumental contribution towards the development of Nepali photography and journalism, and his role as an enabler of Photo Kathmandu". 1
The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Photo Kathmandu”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence. 1
Photo Kathmandu is Photography festival in Nepal, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition. 2
The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation. 2