Bangkok street photographer Rammy Narula has a new show opening in the Thai capital, and it's his most personal yet. "For My Grandmother" runs at Kathmandu Photo Gallery from 24 October to 28 November, curated by Aekkatera Nattakan, with an opening night party from 6.30pm. The series frames his grandmother not through mourning but through the small, everyday moments she still represents in his life.
The photographs themselves are quiet and open-ended: a plastic bag caught mid-air, a bird stretching its wings, his own half-shadow in a mirror, a translucent curtain over his son. Narula says the collection is meant to suggest a broader range of human experience than loss alone — presence, chance, tenderness.
Narula came to photography almost by accident. In late 2011 his brother handed him a camera and told him to clear his head. What began as a cool-off walk through the streets of his hometown became a quest for a better understanding of life, he says. He has since documented life on the move, become a fixture of the Bangkok street photography scene, and sits on the committee of the Thai Street Photo Collective alongside the Burn My Eye collective.
His philosophy shapes the work. "Eliminating what's not important helps you focus on what is," he told the Bangkok Post Life. "It's a philosophy that applies to most aspects of life, but translated to photography it means we're better able to focus on the people and life around us."
Travellers who know Bangkok may recognise his earlier project "Platform 10", shot in and around Hua Lamphong station, plus the chronicles of train journeys he filmed every day over six months. His photo book has been published by Peanut Press in New York, and other series include "Si Thai", "In Color" and "Life Is An Act". He also runs photography workshops and coaching sessions, worth a look if you're visiting Bangkok and want to shoot the city with more intent.
The exhibition is a good excuse to visit Kathmandu Photo Gallery itself, one of the few dedicated photography spaces in Thailand, a short hop from the riverside galleries and cafes around Charoen Krung. Pair it with a wander through the old town's shophouses and you'll see the same everyday street life Narula has spent a decade photographing. Check kathmanduphotobkk.com for details.
