Announcing the participants of the PC Fellowship 2024!

 

photo.circle is pleased to announce the participants of the upcoming PC Fellowship 2024 – a 9 month program designed to support our growing community of visual storytellers. This first iteration of the 9-month fellowship program is bringing in eight participants to examine what bikas and samriddhi means for Nepali society. This cohort will produce visual projects as they delve into questions, challenges and concerns around models of “development” that is promoted in Nepal at present.

The selected participants will join several short workshops through the 9 month period. Fellows will receive a grant of Rupees Two Lakh each (after taxes) to support production and travel. And, they will be offered on-going mentorship from a variety of experienced practitioners from the arts and media field, as well as the development sector.

The eight participants of the PC Fellowship 2024 are:

• Aman Shahi
• Amit Machamasi
• Deepa Shrestha
• Kishor Maharjan
• Neesha Khaling Rai
• Priyanka Tulachan
• Samagra Shah
• Sundup Dorje Lama

The PC Fellowship Program is designed to enable photographers and multimedia practitioners to continue to build on-going projects or start new ones that respond to the themes mentioned above. The program will be an opportunity for participants to strengthen their research skills, and build engaging visual narratives that create deeper civic engagements for themselves as well as their audiences.

About our 2024 PC Fellows:

Aman Shahi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aman Shahi, a Kathmandu-based Photographer and Graphic Designer, earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a major in Graphic Communication from Kathmandu University. Dedicated to preserving cultural traditions, he actively contributes to the Pyangaun project, focused on revitalizing the traditional bamboo craft of pyang-making in Nepali society. Aman’s commitment to cultural preservation gained recognition through an innovation grant from the Road to COP26 campaign. In 2021, he was selected as a grantee for the International Storytelling Workshop, a collaborative program involving Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway, Photo Circle, Kathmandu, and Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, Bangladesh. His creative excellence was also acknowledged by the Nepal Tourism Board, where he secured the Photo Series Contest prize for “Festivals of Nepal” in 2020.

 

Amit Machamasi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amit Machamasi is a photojournalist and a visual artist with a profound passion for storytelling. Born and raised in Bhaktapur, his photojournalism journey commenced with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. He first wielded the camera during his employment at Sagarmatha Television in 2019, and since then, he has been capturing powerful moments through the lens.

Throughout his career, he has covered diverse events, delving into political issues, cultural intricacies, social matters, and documentaries. He has worked for various popular news portals in Nepal, such as ‘Pahilo Post’, ‘Nepal Times, and ‘Ukaalo’. His work has also earned recognition in various international news portals such as ‘The Guardian’, ‘The Times UK’, and The Wall Street Journal’, among others.

He believes that a photograph can transcend boundaries and create connections that bridge gaps between cultures, languages, and ideologies. He is currently working as a freelance photographer..

 

Deepa Shrestha

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deepa Shrestha is an independent visual artist based in Sankhuwa Sabha and Kathmandu, Nepal. She likes to explore and experiment with various visual mediums like photos, videos and sketches. Her work is usually based on human emotion and experience. During most of her career she has been sharing her own personal stories and talking about her feelings & experiences, but lately her lens has shifted towards trying to develop a narrative around contemporary issues like climate change, gender, identity, culture and existence.

 

Kishor Maharjan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kishor Maharjan is a documentary photographer based in Patan, Nepal. He strives to explore and understand human emotions and societies through the medium of Photography. He also practices carpentry and design which he hopes to incorporate in his work. He is a recent graduate of Visual Thinking & Making 2023, a 5 month long photography course at photo.circle. Addition to this, he was a participant of International Storytelling Workshop 2020 conducted by Oslo University, Norway, Pathsala, Bangladesh and photo. circle, Nepal, and Photojournalism and documentary photography program 2020 hosted by VII Academy. He has co-founded a monthly lifestyle magazine – Verse and also started Whaddafish Designs Studio with Elsa. He just completed a production of an exhibition “The Sovereign Forest” by Amar Kanwar.

 

Neesha Khaling Rai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neesha Khaling is a visual storyteller based in Kathmandu. With over 5 years of experience as a professional photographer and filmmaker, she has dedicated herself to capturing captivating stories. A woman from the indigenous community of Solukhumbu, Neesha identifies storytelling her passion.

 

Priyanka Tulachan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Priyanka Tulachan is a visual artist based in Kathmandu, Nepal. She received her BFA from Kathmandu University School of Arts (2020). Currently, she is working with documentation that emphasizes family archives, family history, culture, heritage, and memory. Priyanka sees photography as a powerful tool for public communication. Her personal projects have been exhibited on several platforms in recent years.

Her artistic journey took root in her early years, inspired by a cousin brother pursuing art. However, her current muse is her grandfather, an author, whose words, storytelling prowess, and vibrant approach to life inspire Priyanka’s artistic creations. In her work, she aspires to emulate her grandfather’s ability to convey narratives through art.

 

Samagra Shah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Samagra Shah is a photographer and documentary filmmaker based in Kathmandu, who is curious to understand humans’ intricate relationship with the natural world. His work ‘Shikaribas’, an outcome of the International Storytelling Workshop 2022, also delved into this very notion of ‘coexistence’ between humans and animals. Shah is currently working on a short documentary ‘Wagging Tale’, which follows a man who’s devoted his life to feeding street dogs in Kathmandu. The film received the Toni Hagen Documentary Grant 2021.

 

Sundup Dorje Lama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sundup Dorje Lama is a freelance documentary photographer and entrepreneur from Humla, Nepal. With a background in Anthropology and Journalism, he discovered his love for photography during extensive travels across 46 districts of Nepal while working in the development and humanitarian sector. Through his camera lens, Sundup skillfully captures the raw beauty of village life and the diverse cultures he encounters. His photography aims to raise awareness and make a positive impact on the lives of those he photographs. Sundup’s exhibitions, including “NAFA National Exhibition 2015”, “Euta Sapana” in 2014, “A way of Telling-2023” have been warmly received, showcasing his talent. Driven by empathy and dedication, Sundup aspires to become a renowned documentary photographer, touching the hearts of audiences worldwide. He is also the visionary founder of Humla Agro, promoting locally sourced honey, organic food, and exotic herbs, sharing the essence of Humla with a broader audience. Sundup’s love for photography and commitment to sustainable entrepreneurship reflect his mission to preserve cultural heritage and enrich the lives of communities, both locally and globally.