{"uid":"oJHOAgiLWrsBuc1W","type":"artist","tags":["photography","instalation","others","public-space","social-action"],"group":"no","group_name":null,"project_title":"In Living Memory","summary":"For over 30,000 years, Sri Lanka\u2019s Wanniyala-Aeto tribe acted as forest custodians, trading wild bee honey, herbal medicines and meat. Their way of life blended secure and independent livelihoods with sustained traditions. But this was fading. Modernisation, resettlement and loss of hunting rights resulted in pursuit of other employment avenues such as subsistence farming and unskilled work.This body of work explores identity and displacement in the 21st century: How we define a culture in modern times, and what it means to be geographically, culturally and economically displaced. The work prompts us to reflect on how we conserve the immaterial side of traditions and practices, and why, when environments change. When a way of being is superseded, by force or will, and shifts to a different reality filled with new codes, rituals and destinies. \n\nLarge scale black and white negative portraits \u2013 a blue print of reality \u2013 depict tribespeople with eyes closed, preserving and suspending a fleeting moment of strength and vulnerability. By showing my work in photographic negatives, I question our visual understanding of our environment \u2013 things which we see every day, without registering these parallel dimensions. In a homage to the oral tradition that conserved many practices through generations, the stories of the people accompany each image. Fragments of past, present and future collide and coalesce; the tribespeople offer their truth, told in their own words.","space":"Suggested exhibition venue: Public spaces in urban landscapes in multiple countries (TBD) \u2013 showcasing the universality of a contemporary subject. Large images (approx. 6mx6m) of the negatives shall be projected on building walls representing immateriality. There will be no prints of the photographs for this exhibition concept. Snippets of their personal stories will accompany the photographs: voice recordings and matching text (on YouTube) to be played on the viewers personal mobile phone.","artists_proposal":null,"members":[],"lang":"en","status":"ok","video_link_password":null,"video_link":null,"audio_link_password":null,"audio_link":null,"images_link_password":null,"images_link":null,"cellphone":null,"description":null,"estimated_budget":null,"complementary_info":null,"names":"Raki","surname":"Nikahetiya","email":"r.nikahetiya@gmail.com","dni_type":"DNI","dni":"U1638887","address":"B40 Malcha Marg","city":"New Delhi","nacionality":"Austrian","country_id":"106","birthdate":"1983-12-04T18:30:00.000Z","birthdate_2":"1983-12-04T18:30:00.000Z","telephone":"+919910478759","web":"www.rakiography.com"}