Expanded: Transcending physical boundaries through photographs

On the occasion of World Photography Day, August 19, Pathshala South Asian Media Institute held the inauguration ceremony for the exhibition "Expanded" at DrikPath Bhobon.

The week-long exhibition has been curated by Samsul Alam Helal and Sarker Protick, and it showcases the work of eight emerging photographers from South Asia. The work featured in the exhibition was produced by the artistes during a year-long mentorship programme in collaboration with VII Academy and Pathshala South Asian Media Institute.

The inauguration ceremony was graced by the presence of Dr Shahidul Alam, the Chairperson of Pathshala; Kha Ma Harun Al Rashid, the Head of Department of Film and Television at Pathshala; the exhibition's curators and the eight photographers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

Sarker Protick, one half of the curators, expressed, "We started this nine-month long mentorship programme in 2021, just before the second wave of COVID-19. It was an online programme and we trained our students over Zoom. While we were limited by time, the works of our artistes display expansion, transcending limits. Thus, 'Expanded' became the name of this project."

The artists Hadi Uddin and Mehbuba Mahzabeen Hasan are from Bangladesh, Mayank Makhija, Riti Sengupta and Vamika Jain from India, Nad-E-Ali from Pakistan, Tavish Gunasena from Sri Lanka, and Uma Bista from Nepal.

"We have an equal level of male and female representation in the exhibition," said Protick, adding, "Our theme covers personal stories, community and family-based stories, and the contemporary environmental issues facing India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh," he added.

The participants worked with their mentors to diversify their craft, by extending personal boundaries, exploring intimate spaces and creating new approaches to their work. In a short interview, Mehbuba Mahzabeen Hasan said, "Staying at home was hard during the pandemic. At that time, as it happens, my mom wanted me to become more 'pretty'. She was doing the Keto diet and forced me to participate with her. For months, I could not eat properly, and it haunted me. So, I decided to showcase all of this trauma into my work. That was the inspiration behind this initiative for me." Mehbuba is an alumnus of the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. The title of her work is, "The F Word".

The exhibition is open to the public from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm every day, until August 27. Apart from the exhibition, Pathshala is also hosting their 'Pathshala Photo Week', which features artist talks, gallery walks, education seminars and exchanges, meet-ups with peers, friends and industry professionals to commemorate World Photography Day.