Christian Mushenko’s evocative imagery captures the streets of Bangkok that Buddhists must negotiate in the pursuit of nirvana.
Samudaya – the cause or origin of suffering – craving, desire, attachment
Saṅkhāra-Dukkha – a basic unsatisfactory nature pervading all existence; because all forms of life are changing and impermanent
Nirodha – cessation of suffering by eliminating desire
The life of a Bangkok buddhist is one of endless painful cycles of rebirth. A perpetual wandering and a religious striving to eliminate all sensual craving amongst ever-present profanity, desire and attachment. Once there is no resistance to being in hell, heaven opens up and samsara reveals its true nature as nirvana. On the streets there is stoic resistance, a shocking detachment, karma for sale and moments of tenderness. It’s alien. But at the same time there’s a human sense of recognition and understanding.
Spanning New York, London, Sydney and Asia, photographer/director Christian Mushenko has the same approach to shooting stills and motion: capturing authentic moments in a distinctive warm and emotive style.
Spanning a century of upheaval, Christian Mushenko’s project traces a photographer’s return to his ancestral roots — revealing the fragile, beautiful truth of belonging.
Christian Mushenko’s studio project is a mixture of heartfelt and confronting images that explore the power of touch.
In Sharon Eilon’s Cuba, dignity persists in ration lines and decaying doorways, even as a generation disappears.
Michael Parfitt documents Vietnam’s Hmong and Dao communities as they quietly adapt tradition to survive tourism, urbanisation and vanishing land.
Sharon Eilon captures the everyday rhythms of Myanmar’s Buddhist monastic community, in robes, ritual, and quiet devotion.
