Images of South Asia
Two Montreal Photographers Document Scenery of India and Nepal
For photography lovers and globetrotters alike, Nepal and India —a photography exhibition set to hit the walls of Mainline Gallery on March 31—will appease both desires for wanderlust and beautiful imagery.
The exhibit, comprised of the works of David Dworkind and Matthew Hood, shows a collection of photos taken by the pair during their trip in the spring of last year.
Dworkind, an architect by day, and Hood, a wildlife photographer, met around ten years ago, just when digital photography became standardized and affordable. They began having the occasional photo expedition in the local areas before they decided to set off to more foreign territories. Dworkind himself had always dreamed of visiting Nepal and India, and once Hood returned from a photo contract in Africa, they were quick to fly out to Asia.
Their trip turned out to be quite the adventure, until a turn of fate prompted them to spontaneously change their original travel plans—which would have led them to Nepal at the moment of the earthquake in April 2015. Amidst the tragic events, they were able to experience the climate, culture and landscapes of the Asian countries.
“Asia is so picturesque,” Dworkind said. “Everything in India is so beautiful from a western standpoint […] the contrast of the life in streets and the breathtaking landscape of the Himalayas is what we wanted to explore in our images.”
“Everything in India is so beautiful from a western standpoint […] the contrast of the life in streets and the breathtaking landscape of the Himalayas is what we wanted to explore in our images.” — David Dworkind
What began as a Facebook event for close friends has turned into a bigger attraction, with guests coming from as far as Quebec City to see the exhibit. This was a surprising turn for the photographers who had had no original intentions of revealing their photos remotely in this way. After their friends’ insistence that the photos were worthy of an exhibition, they sought a venue and discovered Mainline Theatre’s new art gallery.
“There seems to be a huge fascination with India in our area. It could be because there are a lot of Montrealers with a passion for travel and the fact that it’s such a multicultural city,” said Dworkind about the growing interest in their project. “I hope our photos inspire people to go there themselves.”
The photographers will be donating ten per cent of all print sales to Nepal Communitere to aid areas of Nepal still suffering from the aftermath of the earthquake.
Nepal & India // Mainline Gallery (3905 St.Laurent Blvd) // March 30 – April 1 // 6:00 p.m.
