Chobi Mela V: The many shades of freedom
Images from All Roads Film Project at Asiatic Gallery
Takir Hossain
Asiatic Gallery of Fine Arts is one of the venues holding exhibitions that are part of the ongoing ‘Chobi Mela V.’ The current exhibition at Asiatic Gallery features works of awarded photographers — Alejandro Chaskielberg (Argentina), Rena Effendi (Azerbaijan), Khaled Hasan (Bangladesh), and Farzana Wahidy (Afghanistan) — who participated in the National Geographic’s All Roads Film Project.
Khaled Hasan is one of the promising photographers of our country. He completed his diploma from Pathshala, South Asian Institute of Photography. From the beginning, this gifted photographer has focused on portraying the woes of rural and urban folks. His photographs at the exhibition highlight the lives of people working in stone crushing industry. Khaled has been working on this subject for the last few years, intimately documenting the hard working community of Jaflong’s stone crushing industry. The burning issue: what these workers must do to survive is also destroying their environment.
As an Afghan woman, Farzana Wahidy, had to endure much struggle to learn and pursue photography. Her relentless endeavours and passion for the medium have earned her a certain position in the Afghan photographic circuit. Photography has not become a popular medium in Afghanistan yet. Farzana has framed rare moments in lives of Afghan women in a conservative social structure. Her photos reveal the harsh lifestyle. The colour images are at times hazy but her language is thought provoking and stimulating.
Rena Effendi’s photos zoom in on a distinct civilisation. Khinaliq is a tiny, remote village in Azerbaijan. Rena has captured the way of life in Khinaliq. The culture, traditions and lifestyle are vividly portrayed in the images. Urbanisation however, is destroying the uniqueness of this locale. Rena believes that natives want to uphold their individual lifestyle in a familiar setting. The colour images seem technique oriented and the play of light and shade gives an interesting look.
Alejandro Chaskielberg highlights unemployment and the culture of migration in an island close to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. The island has gradually changed its individuality. The images are brimming with the joys and woes of the locals.
The shared, central theme of the images has been demonstrated with sensitivity towards the subjects, maintaining a close connection and employing techniques.
Courtesy: thedailystar.net
