The Geopolitics of Infrastructure — Contemporary Perspectives

Nepali Power is a project Köken Ergun made in collaboration with Nepali artist Tashi Lama, comprising a series of paintings that consider the impact of the agreement Nepal made with China for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in 2017. The BRI’s infrastructure projects in Nepal include the Kerung Railway, the Tamor hydroelectric dam, and the Phukot Karnali run-of-the-river hydropower project. Critically appraising the agreement — from its positives through to its negatives — the artists utilise the traditional thangka method that Tashi Lama is trained in to bring pertinent questions in the public domain, during the period where the projects have been in its planning phase.
The left-hand painting depicts the Kathmandu-Kerung Railway, whereas the right-hand painting imagines how Nepal could export electricity to the wider region of South and South East Asia. A closer inspection of the details reveal concerns on BRI’s human and environmental impact. The painting in the centre takes on a more propagandistic tone, whilst questioning if the Nepali role in BRI will become a reality at all. Two short videos accompany the paintings, which Ergun made in collaboration with Indian YouTuber Satyam Mishra, commenting on BRI projects in Nepal using existing and found image and video material. These videos speculate on how these rail and hydropower projects could impact Nepal’s future and prosperity in relation to its closest neighbours of China and India.

Nepali Power, 2022
3 paintings on canvas stitched on textile, each 248.92 × 116.84 cm
2 videos in loop (with Satyam Mishra)
Courtesy the artist. KADIST collection