We rarely find the sweetness of village life in the chaotic city. But a group of photographers with investigative instincts and aesthetic minds, framed some beautiful features of the city which still exist in the milieu of the concrete jungle. A day-long photo exhibition presenting images taken on the mobile phone application Instagram was held at the footpath of 7/A, Dhanmondi yesterday in the capital.
The exhibition title Dhaka Graam seems to be derive from the suffix of Instagram that enables its users to take pictures, apply digital filters to them and share them on a variety of social networking services. There is also a wordplay on the Bangla word “graam,” which means village, as the assembly of the photo portrays elements of the rural life.
The photographs innovatively depict the contrast and combination of elements of rural and city life. Horse carriage, natural beauty, shadow of greenery and more have been portrayed in contrast of the the city’s modren objects. Despite the suffocation and everyday exhaust, the assembly of the photographs bring a refreshment to city dwellers.
Both professional and amateur photographers took part in the exhibition which they claim “not a conventional exhibition” but a “nemesis gaze of Dhaka city.”
The photographers chose the public space for the display to reach the general citizens of the city.
From renowned photographer Andrew Biraj to singer Shayan Chowdhury Arnob, Imran Firdaus, Anindya Kabir Ovik, Abedin Safi, Ismail Ferdous, Kazi Tahsan Agaz Apurba, Jessica Islam Lia, Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy, Stalin Joseph and many others participated in the show curated by Amirul Rajiv.
Amirul Rajiv said: “The exhibition aims to create bonds between the the city and its inhabitants. Its our first venture and the series of Dhaka Graam will continue with more exciting photographs.”
