The brilliance of visual documentary combined with meticulous research in the photo-forensic study has been demonstrated through an exhibition titled “In search of Kalpana Chakma.” It breaks a painful silence of the disappearance of Kalpana Chakma, an outspoken indigenous Bangladeshi woman who fought for the rights of her people.
The exhibition was inaugurated at Drik Gallery on June 12 and will be open to visitors till June 21 from 3pm to 8pm.
The researchers and artists of the study are Shahidul Alam, photojournalist, activist and scientist and Saydia Gulrukh, a social scientist, activist and journalist. They present not only a visually engaging exhibition but also a detailed examination and a re-enactment of an issue that has been conveniently obscured by successive Bangladeshi governments.
Kalpana’s experiences, last moments are poignantly dressed and presented via everyday ordinary things – a ribbon that would have adorned her hair, a favourite shoe, the mosquito net she slept under and more have been depicted using a full spectrum of forensic options. Moreover, her brother’s palm which reflected the torch light that lit up the alleged abductor Lieutenant Ferdous’ face is also portrayed.
