Kevin Bubriski – The Uyghurs: Kashgar before the Catastrophe

Review by Gerhard Clausing •

Some 25 years ago, the group of people known as the Uyghurs, a large ethnic minority in China, primarily of the Islamic faith, were still relatively unencumbered by much outside control. Since then the Chinese government has imposed many procedures on these people that have received international criticism. In 1998, just before all these latest developments, the renowned documentary photographer Kevin Bubriski captured the cultural traditions and life of the Uyghurs, creating a kaleidoscope of their time, a valuable time capsule now presented in this new photobook that provides us with interesting insights.

Especially in this time of clashing belief systems, this historical documentation of these people’s lives is an important contribution. In his essay, the poet Tahir Hamut Izgil recounts how Bubriski’s photographs remind him of his childhood and early life in this region; he later was a political prisoner of the Chinese and found asylum in the United States. We are able to participate in that lost magic that was captured by Bubriski years ago. We share the nostalgia, we feel Izgil’s pain that he may never be able to return to the homeland that he loves.

After a section of introductory remarks as well as a history of the group and their area by Dru Gladney, the photo section is divided into four portfolios of images: mosques and the People’s Square, streets and alleyways, bazaars, and students and education. Each section is a accompanied by further explanatory material and captivating poetry, and there are also captions for each image in English and in the Uyghur language. Some appreciation of decades of culture encapsulated in Bubriski’s observations create a sense of awe in the viewer. I am including two images from each section below, as well as an introductory image and a concluding one, in that order.

Looking at the photographs, we see many moments of the people and places of the city of Kashgar, a beloved location of the Uyghurs. We see them against a backdrop of many centuries of history, as evidenced by the buildings and streets. People are engaged in their daily routines; education seems available on an equitable basis, and they seem eager to learn. It is also interesting to see several ethnicities side by side. Modernity also peeks around the corner. Bubriski has a special skill in structuring images interestingly from front to back; this adds to the viewers’ discovery journey and viewing enjoyment. Excellent examples are the image of the children in the alley and the image of the assembled elders.

The photographs are printed very well on generously large pages. Some few are in color, which adds a bit of a contemporary touch. The layout is attractive and varied, making it a pleasure to view this photobook again and again. Particularly noteworthy is the section containing all the texts in the Uyghur language.

We can only hope that conditions for the Uyghurs will improve very soon. This photobook is a plea for a world of greater tolerance, one in which belief systems that differ from one’s own or that differ from the goals of a particular government are accepted without punitive measures, and in which our differences are celebrated rather than attacked. We are all somewhat different from the person next to us and certainly always quite different than any group to which we may belong by choice or by fate, not just in China, but everywhere. What a boring world it would be if we were all the same, in our beliefs and in our behaviors!

____________

The PhotoBook Journal also featured reviews of these books by Kevin Bubriski: Pilgrimage, Mustang in Black and White, Our Voices, Our Streets: American Protests 2001 – 2011, and Nepal Earthquake.

____________

Gerhard Clausing, PhotoBook Journal Editor, is an author and artist from Southern California.

____________

Kevin Bubriski – The Uyghurs: Kashgar before the Catastrophe

Photographer: Kevin Bubriski (born in North Adams, Massachusetts; lives in Shaftsbury, Vermont, USA)

Essay and poems by Tahir Hamut Izgil; essay by Dru C. Gladney

Language: English and Uyghur

Design: David Skolkin

Hardbound, fabric, illustrated jacket; 248 pages with 116 duotone and 8 color photographs and 4 historic maps; 11.25 x 12.25 inches (29 x 31cm); printed and bound in Italy by Editoriale Bortolazzi Stei; ISBN 978-1-938086-99-1

____________

Articles and photographs published in the PhotoBook Journal may not be reproduced without the permission of the PhotoBook Journal staff and the photographer(s). All images, texts, and designs are under copyright by the authors and publishers.