Source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Mohammad Jahangir Hossain is in the business of enhancing the beauty of, and preserving great works of art. It isn't a line of work that is sought after in this part of the world, but Hossain understood the significance of it at a very young age. “I started working in 1989, when I dropped out of school after I finished class 3,” says Hossain. “My parents then took me to my uncle who had a frame shop, and I starting working there as an errand boy and assistant. That is where I learned and fell in love with the art of making frames.”

Source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Hossain worked with his uncle till 1996, but as his uncle refused to pay him, he eventually left the shop. “Till 1998, I struggled working as a farmhand and at a few other menial jobs, in Bikrampur, until my father passed away,” he remembers. Suddenly, he found himself financially responsible for his mother, and three younger siblings.

To support his large family, he returned to work, to do what he is best at. “On the 1st of May 2003; twelve years ago, I started my own frame business, with my life savings and the help of a few relatives,” he says.

He called his shop Jahangir Frame Ghor, and it is located in Gausul Azam Market, Nilkhet. “I always wanted to work with local wood,” he says, “For me, making frames is a form of artwork that few appreciate. My dream is, one day to have it recognised for its own beauty.”

His small store soon became renowned through word of mouth, “The first big order I had was from the Bangladesh Photographic Society (BPS),” he tells us, “I was referred to them by Chanchal Mahmood, a well known photographer. He also helped me get some large projects and through these, I met many distinguished personalities, notably the president of our country as well as the education minister,” he says. “I also worked on another exhibition known as 'Tales from a Globalising World,' which is held in 18 countries around the world and was hosted by Drik Gallery in Dhaka.”

Through these exhibitions, he was exposed to foreign art and framework and collected new ideas for his own shop. “A few years ago the World Bank organised an exhibition as Shilpakala Acedemy, and during that time, someone from their head office in Washington had read an article about me and asked their local office to look for me to work on their frames,” says Hossain.

Hossain has also framed 51 photos by renowned photographer Raghu Rai, “Through this work, I have learned the importance of photography and how it can capture significant moments in time,” he says. “I have also worked with Pablo Bartholomew, an Indian photojournalist, who received the Padma Sri Award in 2013, and Tareq and Catherine Masud which was a great experience as well.”

Source: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Currently, Hossain is working on frames for Chobi Mela VII, which will open on the 23rd, for the fifth year in a row. “I have organised the world's first exhibition at Drik Gallery featuring wooden frames and I had to work very hard to collect about 100 works of art from the contacts I have made throughout my career to do so,” he shares. “I will be holding a workshop in March for frame making and am inviting anyone interested to apply through my facebook page. The quality of the frame is important in the preservation of a photo,” and that is something he hopes more people will understand and appreciate one day.