Mask dance festival at Katok monastery (2000)

Raùl Diaz born in 1968 in Santiago, Chile, studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York, then at the Corcoran School of Arts in Washington DC (1988-1995). In 1997, he moved to France and became an assistant to several leading names in photography.

In 2001, Raúl accompanied a reporter to Tibet, where he took many photographs. The series presented here concerns Kathok, a monastery of Nyingma obedience, which he visits during its annual festivities. These are held on the 10th day of the 6th month of the Tibetan calendar, to mark the birthday of Padmasambhava ("born of the lotus"), an 8th-century tantric master. It's an opportunity for him to witness the masked dances performed by the monks as a means of exorcism. The village where the monastery is located still exists, but has grown considerably. This exhibition is a tribute to the place and its inhabitants.

On March 13 at 6pm, there will be a guided tour of the exhibition with photographer Raùl Diaz.