Tibet: Culture on the Edge
"Phil Borges’ images are some of the finest portraits I have ever seen, and like those of Edward C. Curtis, they are also precious, documenting a vanishing way of life.  Look, care and be reassured by the beauty of the human spirit." ~Ann Curry,NBC News"PHOTO BOOKS OF THE YEAR WINNER: Documentary & PhotojournalismIn his fifth monograph, Borges explores both the indigenous lifestyles of the Tibetan people and their grand surroundings—each threatened by forces including industrial development, climate change and ongoing political tension between Tibet and the People’s Republic of China. Forged over 17 years of periodic visits, Borges’s affinity with the hardy natives informs the book’s illuminating text and warm portraits alike." ~American Photo"Ethnographic, environmental, and aesthetic—this book is a triple win. Photographer Phil Borges returned to Tibet after 15 years to make this panoramic portrait of a people and place that are drastically changing. Intimate portraits, luminous landscapes, and religious structures are paired with poignant, dignified commentary. Borges hopes his chromatically radiant, vital document sounds alarms and helps preserve aspects of a vanishing existence—a noble and ennobling vision."  ~The Brooklyn Rail“Award-winning photographer Phil Borges, who has made the plight of indigenous people a focus of his work, assembled this collection of vivid photographs and interviews with ordinary Tibetans. He had been there 15 years earlier, and was shocked at the seismic changes that had taken place in the interim. His book focuses on these shifts—how, for example, climate change and intense development by the Chinese government have affected the people and the landscape—while also noting what has remained steadfast: Tibetans’ Buddhist faith. Borges’s gorgeous images, combined with the residents’ heartfelt observations, offer dramatic documentation of the truth of this sacred region.” ~TheWashington Post“The images are astonishing and poignant with an otherworldly quality of a culture being captured even as it disappears.” ~Virtuoso Life