Photojournalism nominee

The Paurakhi Basti settlement, meaning "settlement of the brave people," was founded in 2006 by people who came to Kathmandu from various parts of Nepal and India during the democracy movement. Having no land or money to rent, they settled on the banks of the Bagmati River. They had previously cleared the area of garbage and debris to make it habitable next to a riverine forest in Thapathali.
In 2009, the government began a program to restore the river in order to clean the water, secure the banks, and prevent flooding. In 2012, 251 huts were demolished in Thapathali with the deployment of over 1,000 security personnel. The replacement accommodations offered in Ichangu Narayan were too small for the often large families, and too far from work opportunities, so no one moved there.
Another eviction attempt occurred in November 2022, displacing around 300 people and destroying their huts. Nevertheless, around 300 people continue to live in Thapathali today, often in temporary shelters right by the river. Although clean-up programs continue on the Bagmati, the river remains heavily polluted. For people without land of their own, the struggle for safe and affordable housing near their workplace remains unresolved to this day.

Steff Gruber (1953) is a Swiss photographer and filmmaker. He worked as a press photographer for Keystone Press and was one of the first filmmakers to explore the docudrama genre. He became internationally known with his documentary LOCATION AFRICA about the filming of COBRA VERDE, the last collaboration between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. His award-winning films have been shown at various international film festivals.
Based on his interest in documentaries, Gruber began shooting photo stories in various countries, focusing, in particular, on human interest subjects and humanist concerns. Visiting places and people on repeated occasions, many of his photo series were produced over a period of several years.
In 2020 Steff Gruber opened the Lumiere.Gallery for digital photo exhibitions.
Steff Gruber is a member of the Swiss Association of Journalists and Photographers IMPRESSUM.

Exhibitions as photgrapher (selection)

2022 FOTO WIEN, Café Prückel, Vienna
2021 photoSchweiz, group exhibition, Zurich
2021 PORTRAITS – Hellerau Photography Awards, finalits exhibition at the Technische Sammlungen Dresden (expected March 27, 2021)
2020/21 New Talents, group exhibition, PEP – Photographic Exploration Project, Bpart Berlin
2020/21 Cambodian Stills, LUMIERE.GALLERY
2020 The International Street Photography Exhibition, group exhibition, Glasgow Gallery of Photography