Two Nepali photography projects have been recognised and selected to receive support by the prestigious Magnum Foundation Fund, a US-based programme that supports photographers around the world to help them hone their skills and to foster diversity in the field. Established in collaboration with the Prince Claus Fund, the Magnum Foundation Fund provides grants and project development support to both emerging and experienced practitioners, with an emphasis on photographers working within their communities.

The two selected projects from Nepal are Eclipse by Sagar Chhetri and the Feminist Memory Project by Nepal Picture Library.

Eclipse by Sagar Chhetri is an ongoing project that looks at the ambiguity and ambivalence that exists around the identity of the people of Madhesh. Chhetri is a freelance photographer currently based in Kathmandu.“The Madhesh is close to my heart as I was born and raised there. Through this project, I attempt to better understand the identity struggles of my Madheshi peers,” Chhetri said. “I try to look into how this border region has been a salient incubator of political grievance and is home to one of my generation’s biggest fight for identity.”

The Feminist Memory Project is a new project initiated by Nepal Picture Library, a digital photo archive run by photo.circle, that seeks to create a visual archive of women’s movements in Nepal. The project is gathering archival photographs, documents and oral histories from around Nepal that capture women in pivotal moments of Nepali history, consolidating contributions made by pioneering figures who remain marginalised in our male dominated historiographies. According to the founders of the project, the material archived will be used to create curriculum that will engage schools and colleges to encourage Nepali youth to unearth and archive their own family histories, placing their mothers, grandmothers, sisters and aunts at the centre of their inquiries. The material will also be exhibited at the third edition of Photo Kathmandu, taking place from 12 Oct – 16 Nov 2018, and will also be published in various forms.

Since 2010, the Magnum Foundation Fund has supported 88 artists, over half of whom are from outside the US and Western Europe. Each year, a changing, independent committee of over 20 international editors, curators, and educators nominates artists who are invited to submit proposals for consideration.