There was a surprisingly vivid burst of culture on the third floor of an unassuming building in the rather industrial Long Island City. Visiting Eye on Bangladesh exhibit felt like a throwback to the Arts in NYC seminar. There were several exhibits that sought to portray the life of the average Bengali citizen.

One of the first was a collection of photographs taken in a more rustic part of the city. A lot of it was in a state of greying decay. The people in the photographs stood out as the focus due to their colorful clothing. One photograph that stuck out to me was the fleet of small boats floating in shallow water. They were small rowboats that have been rendered near useless by technology. Bangladesh still utilizes what we consider relics. It’s incredibly charming that there are still places like this that exist.

One of the last exhibits was a series of portraits in which the subjects posed in scenes that represented their dreams. Most people dreamed of wealth. This manifested itself in the subjects posing with butlers, mansions, airplanes, and other luxury items. The people who live in an “Old World” setting dream of the things that are more prevalent in America. I find this interesting, as I wouldn’t mind spending a few days in that ancient city. My takeaway from the exhibit is that people seem to want whatever they lack, rather than the necessities.