Photo: Jannatul Mawa

Among the tremendous talent exhibited in this year's Chobimela VIII, is that of Jannatul Mawa, a female photographer who has joined the profession very recently. After trying out different professions and spending years working as a social and gender activist, Mawa decided to pursue photography as a medium of her activism.

Born and brought up in Dhaka, Mawa completed her Masters Degree in Bangla literature. Being interested in Cinematography, she decided to join Pathshala -South Asian Media Institute of Photography, and study photography as a first step toward filmmaking. “Through the atmosphere of the institution, the work of others and the people around me I fell in love with photography. It was what I wanted to do for myself,” she says.

Her exhibit at Chobimela VIII this year is titled “Close Distance,” and portrays the intimacy or lack thereof in the relationship between female employers and their housemaids on whom they are almost entirely dependent to run their households. Mawa highlights the relationship between the employer and employee in a middle class home and analyses the spatial/class distance between them. Her photos show these women sitting side by side, like social equals and try to create the bond of intimacy that has been a taboo in our society for generations.

Photo: Courtesy

Through her work, Mawa covered stories from various fields. Her photos have been showcased widely, some of the prominent exhibitions being held at, Emory University, USA, Drik Gallery, Dhaka Art Summit, Asian Women Photographers' Showcase and many more. For the past three years her photos have also been exhibited at the Chobimela International Photo Festival. For her work she has been the recipient of several awards including The Daily Star, ACI-Persona, KLPA, Guizhou Festival, UNICEF & PIB awards.

“This year's exhibit has been shown at various places around the world, but Chobimela is important to me because I am being able to show them to my countrymen, who can relate to them the most,” she shares.