Nacktwanderer

"I am not a naked hiker. The images of naked bodies taken by the young Swiss photographer Roshan Adhihetty offer glimpses into a world previously unknown to me. As a film-maker, this is also something I seek to do when I look for subjects for my films. I seek out worlds and perspectives that I don’t yet know; that intrigue and unsettle me; that move me and make me think; I seek out images and worlds that I can’t tear myself away from. In this respect, these genuinely impressive photographs of men and women hiking naked in Germany, Switzerland and Austria captivate me. They are images that go beyond the pure documentary, and, through their staged composition, also direct our gazes at human existence itself. Images that speak of humankind, of our great yearning to be at one with nature; but at the same time of our vulnerability when faced with the might and majesty of that nature. You don’t need to be a naked hiker for that. Despite his many years involved with the subject, and despite his many years spent accompanying the naked hikers, Roshan Adhihetty also didn’t become one. What he has succeeded in doing with these photographs, however, is as exceptional as it is evident: he has managed to find beauty in the unadorned." Ulrich Seidl