October to December 2024
Deepak Tolange is a filmmaker, photographer and researcher from Nepal who is interested in innovation, history, culture, the environment, and social justice. During his CoMuse Fellowship, Deepak investigated the history and provenance of the Shiva Linga – a sacred object from Nepal currently in the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst – in close collaboration with the museum team. He also continued to work on his documentary film which highlights the deep connection and significance of sacred objects in contemporary Hindu communities for their very existence, life, and beliefs. The project seeks to raise public awareness regarding the loss of cultural belongings from Nepal. Deepak Tolange on this:
For me this visual research project is a journey to reconnect, rediscover, and relearn about Lord Shiva – one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and to explore various stories, rituals, and festivals related to Shiva/Shiva Linga. The primary focus of this visual research is to find the origin of a copper-gilded, four-faced Chaturmukha Shiva Linga kosh within the collection of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst, Berlin. Many different rituals are performed and festivals celebrated in honour of Shiva/Shiva Linga on a daily basis, on special occasions and annually. This Shiva Linga sheath had previously been displayed in a permanent exhibition at the Museum für Indische Kunst in 2000 to 2015. Subsequently, it was prepared for a new permanent exhibition at the Humboldt Forum in 2022. Shortly before the opening, however, a more in-depth examination of the provenance of the sheath was considered relevant for further decisions, especially since it was acquired by the former Museum für Indische Kunst in late 1993.
This multi-layered visual research project employs a mixed methodology. During the CoMuse fellowship period, I will work together with the museum team, in particular with Sophia Bokop, a provenance researcher, in further investigation and analysis. I will also edit visual materials to make a short documentary film. The findings will be presented via this short documentary and in an exhibition.
Deepak Tolange completed his MA in Visual and Media Anthropology in Berlin thanks to a DAAD Masters scholarship (2014–2016). After graduation, Deepak worked in Germany and Tanzania as a freelance filmmaker and photographer for two years. Since 2018, Deepak has been working as a visiting faculty member at Kathmandu University, teaching Photojournalism and Film Production. His paintings, photography, and documentary films SHELTER (2013) and DUST (2016) received multiple awards.
This fellowship is supported by Künstlerhaus Bethanien, which provides a studio for artistic and scientific research.