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Interpreting water

"LifeBlood" portrays Bangladesh's deep aquatic connections

Fahmim Ferdous
With art taking new forms and formats everyday, and the Dhaka Art Summit bearing distinctive marks of it, the one exhibition that stood aside in terms of being classical visual arts, featured some stunning artworks, produced through the lens of some of the most authoritative photographers in the country. "LifeBlood", curated by Rosa Maria Falvo, was an exhibition of Bangladeshi photographers, on a theme everyone in the region connects to in their own way: water. Participated by Shahidul Alam, Munem Wasif, Saiful Huq Omi, Khaled Hasan, Abir Abdullah, Manir Mrittik and Rasel Chowdhury, it brought out fantastic interpretations of the theme varying widely in style and technique.
Shahidul Alam's work requires no introduction. His brief series, "Brahmaputra Diary", is a powerful encounter of his experience with the River Brahmaputra, as it travels through Bangladesh, India and Tibet. Comprising of a stunning landscape, a candid portrait and a piece easily classifiable as fine art photography, his centerpiece is a magnificent birds-eye view of a jetty on the with the cityscape in the background.
Saiful Huq Omi, an internationally-acclaimed photographer, has a reputation of bringing out a bigger story in his works than his frames can capture. "Breaking Ships" sheds light on the ship-breaking industry of the country; the rich black-and-white photos have ample play of light and shadow, smoke and mist and fire and sparks, bringing out the industrious processes and the contrasting life of struggle of the workers. A silhouette of a man with a raging fire in the background stands out.
Khaled Hasan, another photographer who deals in greyscale images, shifts focus to the rock-collecting from river beds in Sylhet's Jaflong. There are some innovative perspectives in play; some low and wide-angle photos with closely-placed focus objects make for interesting viewing; off-focus subjects, motion-blurred action photos also add to the vivacity of the images. Rasel Chowdhury's series "Desperate Urbanization" is a rather textbook approach, collecting the many points-of-view of urbanization and its impact. Chemical discharge, pollution and wastage are subjects of the photos, along with construction sites and materials. The colour treatment is understandably bland and foggy, to press home the point against urbanization itself.
Munem Wasif is a sharp young photographer who has made a name for himself with his impeccable black-and-white photos telling intriguing stories. "Salt Water Tears" deals with the fishing-farming projects of tiger shrimps in the southwestern region of the country. His wide shots are incredible - be it lines and shapes, or the composition. When he portrays life, though, his prowess in grabbing the viewer's focus to his intended part of the frame is commendable, along with his sense of tonality.
Abir Abdullah, another talented photographer, has a series named "Holy Bath" at the exhibit. It deals mostly with the religious and ritualistic significance of water to the people of this region. His colours are vibrant - especially since his subjects include festivals like the Durga Puja, and his portrayal of people and moods are impeccable.
Manir Mrittik's series at the exhibition is titled "Soul Flow", and the messages in his photos are accordingly spiritual and subconscious. Dealing mostly in landscapes -- like rock cliffs, sky and the sun, and fishermen, he has used artificial lighting and heavy colour-processing and filters.