Fred Bonatto: This is Burma

Myanmar (Burma) is opening up to the outside world. Photographs by Fred Bonatto of this long time reclusive country are on display at the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro Vermont for the month of April 2013. Six months after travel restrictions, Bonatto visited Burma and lived with Buddhist monks. He explored the everyday life and culture of this ancient land just before the rest of the world probably intrudes. For now, Burma is only one of three countries that does not have Coca-Cola available, but is soon to change.

Fred Bonatto, a multidisciplinary artist, now lives in London but has spent considerable time in New Hampshire, Brazil, and Mexico City. He has traveled a fair bit of the world with a documentary photography viewpoint that intimately explores local cultures.  Bonatto says, “Twenty-first century Burmese are incredibly gentle people that embrace, live, and breath ancient culture, one that has not been overtly overtaken by so called globalization.”

The opening reception is Friday, April 5, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m., during  Brattleboro Gallery Walk. The public is welcome. The exhibit will end on Sunday, April 28, 2013. The Vermont Center for Photography, a 501-3-(c) non-profit gallery featuring fine art photography, was founded in 1998. The gallery represents photographers from Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York, promoting a regional community of photographers.

The Gallery is located at 49 Flat Street next to the parking garage in downtown Brattleboro, Vermont. Gallery hours are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m. or by appointment.

For directions or information, please call 802-251-6051 or visit the website at vcphoto.org.

Selection of images from the exhibition: