Photography
Photo series Kataiya, Nepal
The small village of Kataiya is located in the southeast of Nepal near the border with India. After a bus ride of more than 10.5 hours from the capital Kathmandu, I arrive in a different world. The unpaved road becomes narrower and small mud houses with straw or corrugated iron roofs loom next to the road. I am stared at by the residents who do not speak a word of English, but have their own language: Maithali. About 60 to 70 families live in this village, which amounts to about 400 people. Different castes live in this village. I am staying with a Muhasar family. The Muhasar fall under the Dalit community. The caste system has existed in Nepal for centuries. The Dalits, also called ''untouchables'', fall outside the four main castes and are called casteless. They are seen as the lowest social class in the country. It is estimated that the Dalit community comprises approximately 13 percent of Nepal's population, which amounts to more than 3 million people. Although the caste system in Nepal was officially abolished in 1951, it is still deeply rooted in the Nepalese community. The impressive stories behind these people have inspired me to create these two photo series: one series in color and one series in black and white.
In color
In black/white
Photo series Mentawai, Indonesia
I visited the Mentawai tribe in the south of the island of Siberut, part of the Mentawai archipelago, off the coast of West Sumatra. The journey was long and started with a boat trip from Padang in West Sumatra to the island of Siberut. After the ferry, the journey continued in a jeep on unpaved roads deep inland. Then I stepped into a hollowed out tree trunk to follow the river as it meandered into the rainforest. I covered the last part on foot and finally after 13.5 hours I arrived at the house of the Mentawai tribe where I would stay for the next few days. The traditional 'longhouse', also called Uma, is made of wood, bamboo and palm leaves. Here two families live together. The Mentawai have lived here as hunter-gatherers for centuries and have many unique traditions. For example, they follow their own animistic belief called Arat Sabulungan, which links the supernatural powers of the spirits of their ancestors to the rainforest. Their special lifestyle close to nature has inspired me to create this photo series.
