Exiles: Part 1
In 1993 I began photographing Tibetan exiles who had settled in Melbourne, which is probably about as far away from the Himalayas as anyone could get and I wanted to know how they felt and coped with life being an exile in a land down-under. Initially inspired by my friend Simon Bracken, a brilliant documentary Photographer and partner-in-uni-crime, who had once boldly walked right up to the Dalai Lama during a press call in the Exhibition Gardens. Much to the chagrin of the press photographers 30 feet behind him he virtually putting his 24mm 1.4 against the nose of HH, blocking everyone else’s shot in the process, but in that bold moment created a sensitive, caring connection with HH, and the image that inspired me to take a 4 year Tibetan odyssey.
This project would not have been possible if not for the generous support and understanding from a long list of people in Australia and abroad. Their kindness and openness to telling their stories, many of which were deeply personal and painful, encouraged me to keep telling the story, even after the 20 years that have passed since I took this work.
I’d like to acknowledge special thanks to the generous Tibetan Community of Melbourne, who opened their hearts and homes and most frequently their kitchens, to help start me on the journey. To the the Office of Tibet in Canberra and Tibet Information Network of Australia for their kind support and introductions. To the Office of HH 14th Dalai Lama in Himachal Pradesh for allowing us time, with Fourteen. To the very talented artist John Westmore who is clearly a reincarnated Tibetan, and to our mystic shaman and travelling companion Nagpa Karma Lundhup, without whom we would not have seen and understood the people and their stories along the way.
A final thanks to my patient parents, your karma will be rewarded I’m sure, and to Justine Dennehy who was with me every step of the way, and without whom I would have been lost.
Photography
© Bruce Mitchell
Karma
Proudly dressed in his traditional Tibetan ‘chuba’ for the shoot, we spent a few moments of reflection inside before heading to the beach to feed seagulls, a naturally Buddhist act of compassion.
Migur
As I journeyed deeper into the project, I became acutely aware of the struggle many Tibetans had faced to get to Melbourne. In a way, their stories were an awakening for me, shaking me from my safe suburban existence into a world where cultural survival and the struggle for human rights was life. For me it was to be the beginning of a 4 year journey which ended up taking me from Melbourne, to refugee camps in Southern India, to community schools in Darjeeling, to Tibet and Ladakh, before returning to the foothills of the Himalaya, Himachal Pradesh and the home of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala..
Namgayl
Choni and Dorjie
