“Kashi Washi” is a term referring to the people working along the riverbanks of the ancient city of Benares, India. Photographer Jason Thrasher originally visited and photographed Benares and its people in 1998 during a months-long trip across India, but in 2023 he returned to the specific street corner he had stayed on to recapture the people he met all that time ago. When asked by Raghu Rai, one of India’s most famous photographers and photojournalists, why he wanted to photograph Benares’ people, Thrasher explained, “I’m trying to see who I would be if I was born and raised on the other side of the planet.” He found that the shop workers in Benares reminded him of his father’s own clothing shop in Alabama, drawing a seemingly unlikely parallel between himself and his subjects from across the world. The exhibition explores the passage of time by featuring black-and-white photos from Thrasher’s first visit next to color photos from his 2023 visit, and is being displayed at the gallery co-owned by Thrasher and his wife, Beth Hall Thrasher.
WHO: “Kashi Washi” Closing Reception
WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 10, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
WHERE: ACE/FRANCISCO Gallery
HOW MUCH: FREE!
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