As the adage goes, an image is worth a thousand words; and it’s all the more if the image tells the untold stories of oppression. Noted photographer Kakoli Prodhan has used the powerful medium of photography to expose the injustices taking place in different corners of the country. She, however, has not only used photos but also very provoking captions to bring the desired impact. Kakoli has captured miseries of women who somehow or the other, have no land that they can call their own. The solo photography exhibition titled Na at the premises of Aporajeyo Bangla at the Dhaka University campus has already attracted a large number of visitors.
The exhibition features about 25 large photographs that come with captions written in Bangla. The works show portraits of women who have to live like nomads, and can’t relate to any place that they can call home or get a sense of belonging to. Many of these women are being threatened by land grabbers or have already lost their land.
One of the images depicts profile of a Hindu woman, features a caption that reads: Ashohayer Songa Sankhaloghu (the definition of helplessness is minority groups). The image tells the stories of all the women who might have faced discrimination in the society.
The photograph Bichitra-er Notun Asroy (Bichitra’s new shelter) is a powerful one indeed. The image shows a brothel and suggests that it has become the subject’s new shelter. The impact that the photo creates along with the caption certainly gives a sharp pang. The photograph actually shows no woman named Bichitra, which makes the work all the more powerful. It refers to the thousands of women who fall prey to the vicious circle of the prostitution business of the country.
Amra ki Bangladesher Manush Na (Are we not the people of Bangladesh?) portrays indigenous women sitting on the slope of a hill. The work hints at the identity crisis of many of the indigenous factions living in Bangladesh.
Began on Wednesday, the exhibition will remain open for everybody till 8:00pm today.
-With New Age input
