Lights and shadows
Chakrit Leelachupong reflects on the rituals of grief following the death of King Rama 9 on October 13, 2016 when the white wall that surrounds the Grand Palace, where King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s body lay in state, became the place for simple displays of mourning by ordinary people, in his show “The White Wall”.
The photographic exhibition opens at Kathmandu Photo Gallery from November 3 and continues through December 28.
Chakrit held a photographic vigil at the Grand Palace, bearing witness to the phenomenal grief over the Kingdom’s momentous loss. “For me, the white wall marks the dividing line between the living and the dead,” he says.
“The camera angle, the composition, and the selective close-up framing that accentuates the shadows, all imbue this series with an eerie mystery, as if the worshippers were performing some occult rite as invisible souls congregate around them,” curator Manit Sriwanichpoom adds.
A professional photographer based in Bangkok, Chakrit graduated in business administration from Assumption University in 2012 but fell in love with photography, which has become his life and livelihood. ‘The White Wall’ is his first solo exhibition.
Kathmandu Photo Gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday from 11am to 6pm. For more information, call (02) 234 6700 or visit www.KathmanduPhotoBkk.com.
