inhibitions.inhabitations curated by Ayushma Regmi

Displaying the original identification documents of the people of Nyeshang, a place nested in the mountains between Tibet and Nepal, the exhibition explores how a group of people who lived extra-territorially—not only in the trans-Himalayan region but also as traders to as far away as Southeast Asia—interacted with the bureaucratic needs of the modern state of Nepal. From an earlier time, the Nyeshange community had secured a special prerogative and tax exemption from the feudal government of Nepal to trade freely even beyond the borders of Nepal. After the passage of Nepal’s Passport Act in 1967 (and following the escalation of the Tibetan uprising in the region), Nyeshanges sought to preserve their historical traveling privileges and became one of the earliest groups to apply for Nepali state IDs in order to acquire passports.

The documents we see, preserved by Nyeshang elderly Karma Tara Gurung, are notably commonplace like most state artifacts. But they are, in fact, wonders of alchemy. They belie the spectral way in which personhoods transform and states becomes real. In striving for mobility, earlier Neshyanges expertly forged identities and identity papers—legally, quasilegally, illegally—navigating bureaucratic regimes transregionally. The new identification regime was also susceptible to mimicry, but even its manipulations created new effects on identity, mobility, and territoriality.

In the process, the materiality of paper stands out as the most consequential enabler. Not only the attributes of graphical iterability and portability, but it is also the medium of the single sheet that visually merges the indexes of the state with personal inscriptions and creates a spatially unified experience of documentary life.

Earthquake has always been a significant issue in Tehran, the capital of Iran. According to estimations based on historical evidence, the first Tehran earthquake occurred in the city of Rey in the fourth millennium BC. One thousand years ago and about seven and eight hundred years ago, a number of major earthquakes devas-

tated Tehran, and the city was consequently rebuilt. According to the calculations of Ali Darvishzadeh, the father of Iranian geology, the cycle of earthquakes in Tehran is 150 years. The last major earthquake occurred 180 years ago. Studies show that a great earthquake will definitely occur in the near future and will happen at night, which will increase casualties up to five million. Sixty-five percent of the buildings will be destroyed. The urban worn-out textures, which includes most of the southern parts of Tehran, will be razed immediately. During the first couple of days after the earthquake, the inability to extract dead bodies due to the vastness of Tehran, will inevitably lead to outbreaks of various diseases, including cholera and plague. Tehran’s exit routes will be blocked, and survivors will have to stay with no tap water. Survivors will die of cholera, plague, thirst, hunger, and the stench of corpses. They say blessed are those who die in the early moments of the earthquake. But why? In this exhibition, through some photos, videos and graphical map, I try to show how a natural phenomenon like earthquake can turn into such a human catastrophe.

Kiarash Eghbali Seresht, Rouzbeh Fouladi, Amir Hossein Sanaei, Nastaran Majd