From 11 June to 30 August 2026 the Captain Room of the Fortress will host an exhibition dedicated to contemporary Nepalese photography.

While in the West photography seems to have lost its way, overwhelmed by the endless flood of Instagram-driven imagery and made increasingly detached from its original nature by the exponential rise of digital technology over the past two decades, across much of the Global South the language of images and the photographer’s social responsibility have never been more urgent or relevant.

Much of the work produced by contemporary Nepalese artists emerges from precisely this kind of inquiry. Their practice explores the nature of change and what it means to live, and to define oneself, within a young democracy.

The sense of resentment towards the ruling classes and social injustice remains more alive than ever among younger generations, artists included.

It should come as no surprise, then, that photographic practice is so deeply rooted across the Indian subcontinent, with centers of excellence such as the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Dhaka. Its departments of photography, film, and television attract students from across the region, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Nepal. Directed by Shahidul Alam, the institute also serves as a key point of reference for the three Nepalese photographers featured in the exhibition Nepal Today. In the Forest, in the Villages: Uma Bista, Kishor Sharma, and Sagar Chhetri, the latter having trained at Pathshala itself.

The courageous and independent development of contemporary art in Nepal has, in recent years, gradually given rise to a vibrant and increasingly authoritative cultural scene, rich in artistic experimentation and capable of forging collaborations with leading international organizations such as the Sharjah Art Foundation, the Venice Biennale, and the Sydney Biennale, as well as with a number of institutions across the Indian subcontinent. Evidence of this can be seen in initiatives such as the biennial festival Photo Kathmandu, the Nepal Picture Library, and Photo Circle. Today, Photo Kathmandu has established itself as an essential event within the visual arts landscape of the subcontinent, serving as a vital space for exchange and dialogue alongside the major biennials of India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Moreover, Nepal’s geographical position has unexpectedly made Kathmandu a fascinating artistic crossroads within the broader South Asian region.

Focusing on photography alone, Nepal emerges as a country rich in young artists whose work engages with themes such as gender dynamics, memory and identity, postcolonial legacies, social politics, religion, and culture, issues that lie at the heart of contemporary art, particularly across the Indian subcontinent and, more broadly, throughout the Global South. The current generation of contemporary artists may well be the first in Nepal to have emerged, and theirprojects reveal a solid artistic grounding, a remarkable creative energy, powerful subject matter, and boldly experimental forms of expression, all despite the lack of public and private institutional support. Their work unfolds at the margins of contemporary experience, a vantage point from which to observe and reflect upon ongoing social and cultural change. At times, their projects draw connections with the past or offer reflections on the unpredictable directions the future may take. At other times, their practice simply becomes a celebration of difference, understood not merely in terms of social inequality, but above all as a source of cultural richness. For this reason, the Nepalese art scene is not only extraordinarily promising, but also profoundly surprising.

Tickets:

6 € for the exhibition and self-guided tour of the Fortress (Rocca) only

12 € for the full tour of the Fondazione Ugo Da Como monumental complex (Fortress and Podestà’s House)