My inspiration for photographing Tibetan Buddhist monastic debates began from a purely visual perspective. When I visited Sera Mey Monastery in Bylakuppe, India, in 2019, the debates felt almost choreographed—staged and lit as though specifically for me.
Tibetan Buddhist debates are an ancient practice in which monks apply critical thinking and logic to interpret complex scriptural concepts which are learned through memorization. Rather than accepting ideas on blind faith, they test and refine these complex concepts through dialogue and more specifically, through debate.
Debates occur, sporadically, from dawn into the night. Though conducted in Tibetan, I was deeply moved by the visual intensity, passion, and rhythm of the exchanges. Challengers (standing) present their arguments to defenders (sitting) who respond, often disputing each point. The signature “clap and hold” punctuates or concludes a statement with theatrical force.
At night, floodlights from monastery rooftops illuminate the courtyards, casting shadows that heighten the drama. Though entirely authentic, and unrehearsed the scene appears to replicate and to epitomize theater.
Beyond the debates, I was drawn to the scriptures themselves. At the Sera Jey Monastic Library, I viewed original scriptures and saw many gilded manuscript covers. The oblong, unbound scripture pages with Tibetan typography, encased between front and back wooden panels, wrapped in vivid orange cloth, each with a decorative tab hanging from the short end, and secured with ties. To me, they are objects of curiosity—both sacred and artistic.
Inspired by their form, I applied gold leaf to my vellum photographs and mounted them in oblong book mats, evoking the gilded manuscripts I had encountered.
My book was published and released by MW Editions, October 2025.
It can be purchased directly from MW Editions.
Or, from my website: https://www.nancyascherlfineart.com/galleries/challenger-defender
BIO:
Nancy A. Scherl is a fine art portrait photographer based in New York City. She distinguishes between her staged portraiture series and her visual stories–the former being social commentary; the latter being social documentary. Stylistically, Nancy emulates cinema verite’ and incorporates Cartier Bresson’s ‘decisive moment.’ In her documentary work, she blurs the boundaries between pictorial, social documentary and street genres.
Nancy completed an MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media at New York City’s School of Visual Arts, following her undergraduate studies in documentary and fine art photography at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She is a Life Member of the American Society of Media Photographers, where she served as a board member from 2016 to 2019. Nancy served as board member of the Katonah Museum Artist’s Association in Katonah, NY (2017-2024) as President emerita, (2020-2022), as well as Treasurer, Archivist and Co-Chair of Programs. She founded, produced and moderated SHOP-TALK, a round table discussion series about art, produced for the KMAA.
Scherl has exhibited globally including at FotoNostrum Mediterranean House of Photography, PX3 Espace Beaurepaire, A Smith Gallery, Praxis Gallery, Photoplace Gallery, South X Southeast, Southeast Center for Photography, The Katonah Museum of Art, The Hammond Museum and the Griffin Museum of Photography. She is a two time finalist of Photolucida Critical Mass Top 200 (2019, 2023) and is the recipient of many other awards such as: Arthur Griffin Legacy Award, International Color Awards, The Tokyo International Foto Awards, Budapest International Foto Awards, PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris, International Photography Awards, and was an Overall Winner of the Julia Margaret Cameron –The World Wide Photography Gala Awards where she had a solo show in Barcelona.
CHALLENGER DEFENDER: The Great Tradition of Tibetan Buddhist Monastic Debate
Hardback
5 x 8 inches
232 pages
95 color illustrations
ISBN: 979-8-9877845-6-3
Publisher: MW Editions
