Rinchen Ato

Kham

My father, is a Tulku which is the reincarnation of a spiritual leader in Tibetan Buddhism. In 1959, at the start of Chinese Communist rule in Tibet he left for India where he met and married my mother. In the eighties, when the borders were reopened, he returned and re-established his Monastery in Kham, Tibet. These photographs are an exploration of my heritage and the fast-evolving culture of the Khampa people. Over multiple trips, spanning the past two decades, I have documented family, friends and the struggles and celebrations of the wider community of Tibetan people living in Kham. Deeply aware of the visual tropes used by foreign photographers, depicting Tibetans as 'foreign' or ‘other’, I hope that my work employs a sensibility which comes from my connection to the community, a community which, to me, is familiar.