TO SEARCH THE SECRET OF THE FOREST - Pietro Lo Casto
“To Search the Secret of the Forest” is an ongoing project by visual artist Pietro Lo Casto (b. 1986, Italy). Working with photography and video, Lo Casto portrays a community called Tangia Basti located in the depths of a forest in Nepal. Enigmatic images of trees, crooked houses, birds and rituals, intertwine in harmony with glimpses of the everyday lives of the villagers. We see a woman hanging out the clean laundry to dry, students following a lesson and the leaves of the forest murmuring in their own language. The uniqueness of this community responds in part to the cruel reality that they have faced in recent years. With their land destined for the construction of an airport, Tangia Basti lived isolated, as the government failed to provide running water or electricity to the village. However, Lo Casto shows how villagers found in nature their best companion and ally to fulfil their needs:
“As I keep walking along the river, I spot a man bathing, and quickly realize that the fog is actually vapour emanating from the river. I discover that during wintertime, the river turns unexpectedly warm in the early hours, creating an ideal condition for people to bathe. A large fallen trunk by the side of the river functions as a platform where people wash clothes and hang them to dry.”
Fascinated by the community and the land they inhabit, the artist does not limit himself to the classical role of the photographer as a viewer or witness but takes an active part in the story. While documenting this community, Lo Casto reflects on contemporary topics such as the destruction that accompanies capitalism, displacement and deforestation, the perception of indigenous communities by the West and what it means for humans and nature to exist in a world seen through an anthropocentric lens. While looking at Lo Casto's body of work, we see that the beauty of the land and its inhabitants follows a sense of urgency and the need to leave behind a predominantly Western and capitalist perception of the world.
“To Search the Secret of the Forest” is a tale of resilience and survival, but most importantly, an example of how humans and nature can live in harmony and find answers and peace in the old wisdom of forests and other living creatures.
“To Search the Secret of the Forest” is part of the exhibition Natural Ellipsis, Anima Mundi and Ecological Conversion curated by Rita Meschiari and organised by Studio Tape and Gate26a, on the occasion of Festival della Filosofia 2021 in Modena, Italy. The exhibition will take place from the 17th of September to the 17th of October, you can find more information here.