Yoghurt rubbed into his hard cold skin, Max Kandhola

«On the day of is cremation there was a process of cleansing the body, which I found most humbling and peaceful. In the morning the male family elders gathered, uncles, cousins, my brother, my nephews, and myself. We were presented with the body of my father at the undertakers. The whole torso was covered with a white sheet;  once that was removed we were presented with his naked body. The whole frame was rigid and had an unusual dark brown tone. The face had no recognizable expression. We began to cover the body in natural yoghurt, and this was rubbed into the hard cold skin with our bare hands. This was washed with water then the routine was repeated with natural oils.»

« Finally, when we look deep within the photographs, death is close, so close that I can almost smell, feel, and touch it. The images were made on the brief moments before and just after the death of my father. Death has been captured. The framing is deliberate and precise as the need to get closer  intensifies, to go beneath the skin, back to a state of belonging that is being slowly but inexorably denied.»