The 10th edition of Chobi Mela, Asia's renowned photography festival, will raise its curtain on February 28 at Drik Gallery in Dhaka.
Chobi Mela X will continue at Drik's new gallery in Panthapath till March 9.
At a press conference on Tuesday, festival director Shahidul Alam presented the theme of the upcoming festival and introduced the newly formed ChobiMela advisory board members.
The international festival of photography is put together biannually by Drik Picture Library Ltd and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.
Prominent members of the new advisory board include Indian economist and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen,former deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank Khondokar Ibrahim Khaled, human rights activist KhushiKabir, Nepali publisher, writer and editor Kunda Dixit, Indian photographer Raghu Rai, economist Rehman Sobhan, literary critic, activist and historian Serajul Islam Choudhury, and human rights activist and former advisor to the caretaker government Sultana Kamal.
'Place' will be the theme ofChobiMela X. Worksbasedon the theme would be curated by ASM Rezaur Rahman, Munem Wasif, Sarker Protick and Tanzim Wahab, along with guest curators Naeem Mohaiemen and Sabih Ahmed.
Chobi Mela X will also feature 27 exhibitions of site-specific artworks by young Bangladeshi artists,and 35 others from 20 countries.
Exposure to the theme-based artist's talk, panel discussion,curated slideshow and workshops will all be accessible at the festival.
Galleries at Dhanmondi will be the soul of the festival. The under-construction Drik-Pathshala building at Panthapath will be the main venue, while exhibitions will also be held at the Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Drik Gallery 1 & 2 (Dhanmondi) and Drik Gallery 3 (Panthapath).
Workshops will be conducted by photo practitioners from all over the world. Peter Bialobrzeski, noted for his excellent photography teaching background, will hold a workshop. Valentina Abenavoli will provide hands-on training to a group of photographers on making their own photo books. World-renowned German publisher and bookmaker Gerhard Steidl will also give an artist's talk on photo books.
Rickshaw vans will be the trademark of easy access to exhibition information for the general public. A mobile exhibition will also work as a medium of information to reach remote places of the capital.
The festival is free and open to the public.
To know more about the festival, please visit the website www.chobimela.org.
