Indigenous Pasts, Sustainable Futures: Images from The Skin of Chitwan

The Skin of Chitwan, an online exhibition by the Nepal Picture Library is a manifestation of the ongoing research project Indigenous Pasts, Sustainable Futures that attempts to document, archive and share Nepal’s marginalised histories.

Curated by Diwas Raja Kc, the exhibition takes the form of a multimedia website, building a narrative around the lives of the Tharu community, who are indigenous to the Chitwan region of Nepal. This exhibition includes archival material collected by researchers and anthropologists working in the region over the years as well as photographs, videos and audio narratives collected as a part of this ongoing research. However, instead of presenting a formalised or linear history of the state-sponsored development and the resulting displacement that affects the lives of the indigenous peoples, the exhibition presents an affective landscape of the region. Through a slow and multi-sensory entry-point into the complexities of this research, the viewer encounters family photographs alongside photographs of staple grains, soil and water, which come together to present the story of Chitwan from the perspective of its indigenous community.

To read more about The Skin of Chitwan, please search for "Finding Archives Where There Are None: Documenting a Displaced Existence in the Forests of Chitwan."

All images from The Skin of Chitwan, Nepal Picture Library, 2019.

Click on the image to view the album