BC: THROUGH THE LENS OF LOVE, FEAR AND FAITH

(Ernest Pillay)

A collection of evocative colour photographs by Durban teacher Ernest Pillay, now on display at the Durban Art Gallery, captures the horror, fear, destruction and majesty of the earthquake in Napal in 2015.

Entitled BC: Through the Lens of Love, Fear and Faith – the photographs document the direct aftermath of the earthquake from the vantage point of the Everest Base Camp. Pillay’s photographs journal his extraordinary first-hand experience of the earthquake – capturing both the physical enormity and his intrinsically personal response to this phenomenal destructive act of nature.

Pillay, who teaches design at Ganges Secondary, was travelling to Tibet with his wife with the intention of climbing Everest. His wife suffered from severe altitude sickness and was sent via helicopter to hospital, leaving Pillay to continue to the assent with his guide, alone.

He was in a mountain cabin at the Tokla Pass with the earthquake struck. He was physically unharmed, but profoundly moved by his experience when the earthquake shook the mountains, rained down boulders, slush and mud, and transformed the landscape into a sight reminiscent of an eerie desolate moonscape.

BC: Through the Lens of Love, Fear and Faith is Pillay’s first solo exhibition. The photographs chronicle the experience – swirling snow; damaged mountain tracks; crumbling buildings – the enormity and extent of the quake and its impact on the mountain and the village are captured in Pillay’s visual essay.

There will be a walkabout with the artist on April 16 at 10h30. Entry is free and all are welcome!

BC: Through the Lens of Love, Fear and Faith can be seen at the Durban Art Gallery until April 24. DAG is open seven days a week: Monday to Saturday from 08h30 until 16h00 and Sundays from 11h00 until 1600. Entry is free and all are welcome.

For more information, contact the Gallery on 031 311 2264 / 9 or Jabu.Mngwengwe@durban.gov.za (weekdays). DAG is on the second floor of the magnificent Durban City Hall building; enter opposite the Playhouse.