Irene Kung's 'Rough tough and mystic' at Galleria Valentina Bonomo

Swiss photographer Irene Kung (born 1958 in Bern) presents her fourth solo exhibition 'Rough tough and mystic' at Galleria Valentina Bonomo in Rome, featuring color photographs from a two-part month-long journey to Tibet and Yunnan in late 2017 and 2018. The works capture the harsh, mystical landscape and the resilience of local people, including Tibetan Buddhist monks. Kung, who transitioned from painting to photography after gallerist Valentina Bonomo saw her photos, uses an intuitive approach, shooting and later selecting only the most emotionally resonant images. The exhibition includes depictions of the Yangtze River, Namtso Lake (the world's highest salt lake at over 4,700 meters), and the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Kung's color photography marks a departure from her usual black-and-white work, influenced by the stark environment. She describes the difficulty of shooting at high altitude, with headaches and lack of oxygen, and the need to solve technical problems like charging camera batteries. The show runs from late 2022.