Michael Foley is a brilliant photographer who has captured the faces of development in images that express the strength and vulnerability of the people in struggle. He has also beautifully captured the nature and the wonder of human achievement in cityspaces and architecture. Michael loves Lahore and is a frequent visitor of his most favorite city in South Asia. He writes about Lahore: What a glorious city, Lahore - vibrant, throbbing with life and so beautiful. We present eight selected photographs of Michael Foley’s collection and invite readers to tell us what is the first thing that comes in their mind when they see each photograph.
Originally from Dublin, Ireland but currently living in Washington DC, Michael works for the World Bank and has travelled a lot to developing countries, specially South Asia, helping to establish the Global Development Learning Network.
As Michael writes: I have certain interests across a spectrum, from faces to places, and from nature to architecture. In my pictures I try to catch the strength and the vulnerability of the human spirit, the beauty of nature and the play of light on form. While photography captures the fleeting moment, it also preserves it forever, and so the snapshot of today can be the historical document of tomorrow. You could say that Photography is history, its imprints gaining value as years go by, for what it says about a time, a people and a place.
Michael’s work can also be found here, here, here and here.
Photograph Details: Photographs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 were taken in June 2007, along the route of the “Royal Walk” in the walled city of Lahore. A cultural heritage project, funded by the World Bank, and involving the Gov of Punjab and the Agha Khan Trust for Culture is planned for the area. Photographs 1, 2, 6, 8 are from the Cooco’s Den in Walled City, Lahore. 3, 7 are from Masjid Wazir Khan and rest are taken inside the narrow streets of Dehli Gate.
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Each trip to the inner “androon” city was a Hansel and Gretel experience for me. I would leave mental crumbs on how many right or left turns. Which narrow alley, where only one person can pass at a time. How many crossovers of the open “nali”. Which house door did I see that looked unique enough to remember.
I always feared that I will not rememeber my way back and asking directions in unknown area is not the smartest thing to do. And that I will never get out of this maze of alleys and pathways.
However, that never happened. And I did manage to ask directions from friendly corner shopkeepers.
You can find the names of all the gates here, Gates of Lahore.
Fantastic colors. Never seen Lahore like this before. Thanks for sharing this.
Iqbal Hussain is just good painter. He has chosen to paint nude to get attention and he has got enough, I think.
There are much better painters than him int his country and unfortunately, they don’t get the attention and respect they deserve.
The photography is nice though.
amazing color contrast. beautiful.
Isn’t Iqbal Hussain the same painter who loves to do nude paintings? I remember he showed some of his nudes in that bbc interview mentioned by maira ahmed.
What a lovely post indeed. Iqbal Hussain is no doubt one of the most under-rated artists of Pakistan. I saw his interview on DAWN News and he was brilliant.
In one of his interviews with BBC in 2007 he told that when Cooco’s Den was formed, his students from NCA used to wait here on voluntarily basis and two of his colleagues were the regular customers for many months … they used to have tea for Rs. 5-10 almost daily.
This, this and this has some more insight on the artist on a mission.