-- Artist statement
Larung Gar was known as the largest Tibetan Buddhist institute in the world, reaching a population of more than 40,000 students gathered in this tiny valley located in the high mountains of North-West Sichuan. Founded by Khenpo Jigme Phuntsok in 1980, its influence has grown over the years to make, while its unique location in a tiny valley finished to make it another jewel of the Tibetan culture.
During the summer 2016, foreseeing extensive renovation work – part of the Chinese dream program – and considering the very sensitive political situation between China and the Tibetan minority, the city’s access got partially forbidden. This photographic project has been initiated after hearing about the situation, while many speculations were going one regarding the situation and the fate of Larung Gar.
Traveling there in March 2017 and managing to get access to the city, these images are a last testimony of the institute’s glory. Discovering the scars of the last restructuring in 2006, upcoming work preparation was also clearly visible, with the planned demolition of thousands of houses, and construction of new hotels. This body of work might be the last before the face of Larung Gar changed forever, giving a last glance at a city partially emptied after nuns and monks have been fleeing to other institutes. Under the falling snow or the cold winter sun, it was an unforgettable scenery that presented itself in a last show, before the bulldozers woke up a few weeks later when spring arrived, allowing the work to begin. Living conditions improved with the construction of the main road, electricity and lights being implanted. However, it’s also thousands of students who had to leave the institute due to the demolition of their houses, Larung Gar seeing its educational purpose fading away while becoming a touristic destination, with luxury hotels and scenic spots.
French photographer based in China, Arnaud Faverjon is pushed by a real love of people, how to capture fragments of life that might disappear in a fast changing world, developing personal projects mostly in Asia and China. When it comes to cultures, he tends to fall in love with everything he doesn’t know and is a true lover of the unexpected, of the unconventional. He is really attached to touching the real side of things to tell people’s stories and giving a witness of the world we are living in, with its light, but also its shadows.
More information: www.arnaud-faverjon.fr
