James Mollison: Dechen Phodrang, Thimphu, Bhutan

In conjunction with the publication of the book Playground, with photographs by James Mollison, and the subsequent exhibition of this work in 2017 at Aperture Gallery, Aperture is pleased to present this very special limited-edition photograph.

Mollison’s projects are defined by smart, original concepts applied to serious social and environmental themes. For Playground, Mollison photographed children at play in their school playgrounds, inspired by memories of his own childhood and interested in how we all learn to negotiate relationships and our place in the world through play. Scenes of laughter, tears, and games demonstrate the intense experiences that happen in the playground. For each picture, Mollison set up his camera during school break time, making multiple frames and then composing each final photograph from several scenes, which he found revealing “play” narratives.

For this photograph, Mollison photographed a school situated on a dramatic ridge overlooking Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. The ancient Dechen Phodrang (“Palace of Great Bliss”) monastery has 450 students and fifteen teachers. Students wake up at 5:00 a.m. and start the day with one hour of prayer before their classes begin. At 8:00 a.m. students have breakfast and a short break before resuming classes at noon. Here, Mollison captured the young boys at play, who usually come to the school at age seven and stay for eight years before transferring to the Monastic College. With photographs from rich and poor schools, numerous middle schools, and some high schools—in countries including Argentina, Bhutan, Bolivia, China, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Nepal, Norway, Sierra Leone, the United Kingdom, and the U.S.—Mollison also provides access for viewers of all ages to issues of global diversity and inequality.

Each limited-edition print is hand-packed with great care and ships from New York within 3–5 days.