Artist
Camillo Pasquarelli
Camillo Pasquarelli is interested in long-term projects adopting photography as a tool of knowledge contaminated by the self-reflective approach of anthropology.
In the last five years he has been working extensively in the valley of Kashmir, India, at first documenting the political conflict between the population and the Indian administration, and later trying to explore a more personal and oneiric approach to the issue. In 2020 Camillo was one of the selected artist for the FOAM Talent.
Among the prizes received are Shortlist at PH Museum Grant, Best Rising Talent at Gomma Grant, Alexia Foundation Student Grant, LensCulture B&W, Shortlist Unseen Dummy Award, Fotoleggendo Award.
Camillo’s photographs has been featured in numerous exhibitions in Europe, USA, Asia, Oceania and published in Time, Der Spiegel, Polka, National Geographic, Internazionale, BuzzFeed, Mashable, Vanity Fair and many other international publications.
Monsoons never cross the mountains
A highly contested land between India and Pakistan since 1947, Kashmir is today one of the most militarized zones in the world.
The first war between the two countries emerged from the ashes of the British colonial kingdom saw, in 1949, the United Nations intervening with a resolution that was urging the need for a plebiscite where the inhabitants would decide whether to join India or Pakistan.
No referendum has been implemented ever since.
Since the 90’s, Kashmir has been witnessing various political uprising against the Indian administration and every time the population fought for Azadi (“freedom” in Urdu
language), their struggle has been silenced with blood.
Despite of the unpredictable new season of protests, repression and martyrs, the situation has still not changed. Numerous human rights violations perpetrated by the Indian security forces have filled the heart of Kashmiri men and women with disillusionment and resentment.
“Monsoons never cross the mountains” is a visual journey through the struggle of the Kashmiri people trapped in an endless season of sorrow while waiting for the spring of Azadi. It is an attempt to depict the emotional landscape of the valley of Kashmir through the eyes of the children, entangled in this cycle from the very beginning of their life.