Immigration Stories

Unscathed

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11 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

Visiting the exhibit Eyes on Bangladesh was something I was not expecting. Growing up, I’ve learned about a plethora of countries and their cultures through the mediums of education, movies, and museums. However, if I hadn’t been Bengali, I probably wouldn’t have known much about Bangladesh just like others, as it is not a widely prevalent topic. This actually surprises me since there is a large Bengali population in NYC, yet our cultural backgrounds remain unknown to many. For this reason, when I stepped into the exhibit, I was pleasantly surprised to see the amount of effort that had been put into this portrayal of Bangladesh.

The selection of photographs in the exhibit were great and made me feel like I was looking at Bangladesh through a different lens. Certain aspects of Bangladesh, like the prevalence of nature and the grand festivals and celebrations, were depicted beautifully through the shots. My personal favorite was the image of a lone man washing his pots and pans surrounded by animals. This really demonstrated the oneness of man and nature as the man shared his kitchen and his daily routines with a flock of crows that were most likely just foraging, and the neighborhood cat. Visiting Bangladesh itself is always extremely refreshing as I get to experience a culture unscathed by western mentality. The fact of the matter is that the world was not only created for the human species to thrive, but also for the other species that inhabit it. As Bangladesh remains a third world country, it will always have that essence of sharing their space with nature and that is one of the things I love about it.

Pregnancy Woes

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11 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

I found the Eyes on Bangladesh to be a a stunning visual display of a world we would have otherwise never experienced. It’s hard to imagine life that is entirely different than the way we live here in the States, but the exhibit gave us an elegant peak into lives that were quite removed from Western influence. The part that I found most intriguing was the set of photos that documented birth in a small town in Bangladesh. I suppose it surprised me the most because I — quite ignorantly — assumed that all births occurred in hospitals. With our well-endowed hospitals, pregnancy check-ups, and pregnancy books, birth has become a stylized event. These photographs cut through all of that; they portray birth as raw, painful, and dangerous. There is nothing controlled here, and it gives these photos a sense of realness.

This exhibit also reminded me of the overwhelming inequality of the world. So many people live in poverty, without access to basic necessities (such as hospitals, pain medication for the birth, etc), and no one seems to do anything about it. To be completely honest, I don’t know how to approach such disparity. How can we get the supplies impoverished people of other countries need when we can’t take care of our own? The economic divide in this country gets steeper every year, and it seems that the wealthiest do all that is in their power to maintain the status quo. Of what value is our awareness if we are essentially incapable of helping? How can we be the country with a saving-others complex when our Supreme Court has made it even easier to buy elections? Do we even have a voice?

Eyes on Bangladesh

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

The exhibition did a good job portraying the different aspects of culture in Bangladesh as well as the problems the country currently faces. The series of pictures including the women of the household sitting alongside their maid was especially interesting to learn about. Hearing about families who have served and worked for other families for generations is something I’ve heard, but seeing them in the flesh in these photos was intriguing. It reminds me of how different culture is in Bangladesh and India, since it isn’t something you would imagine to see in the U.S. Seeing the discomfort some of the maids felt even though they were asked to sit on the couch only to pose for a photo was also somewhat surprising. I wonder how the heads of the household felt when the photographer asked to take photos of them sitting side by side on the couch.

The photos of the eroding shorelines of Bangladesh were also very informative. Sometimes it’s hard to see the impact of environmental problems, and those photos showcased the problem in Bangladesh well. Hearing that Bangladesh might eventually become completely submerged underwater was also interesting (and worrying) to know.

I liked how each photographer focused on different cultural aspects of Bangladesh, both the positive and the negative. The photographs allowed the viewer to get a feel for the country, and raised awareness of these issues for people who might otherwise be completely unexposed to Bangladesh’s current state.

Happiness in Unlikely Places

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

I was pleasantly surprised after we visited the Eyes on Bangladesh exhibit. At first glance, most of the photographs have a dreary tone, with many depicting scenes of poverty, depression and social injustice. However, I also found a source of hope and inspiration among many of the photographs. For example, the series with the matriarch sitting together with the house servant may look dehumanizing and pitiful for the servant. But looking across the spectrum of photographs, we can see a progression, as the attitudes and treatments of the servants could be modernizing over time. Additionally, the series in which all the Bengali reenacted their dream scenarios was also striking, as it presents an idealistic and optimistic outlook towards how life could be better. Many of those people share many of the same dreams as we do, despite all of our living differences.

However, the series that captivated me the most was Belonging, particularly this picture. Old Dhaka-Belonging

That just stood out immediately to me, especially since the rest of the series about Dhaka seemed to capture the poverty of the community, this picture captures all the unadulterated joy and optimism of the people. On a further glance, the series holds an interesting blend of melancholy and exuberance. Even though the conditions look bad at first, people can always find happiness in the most unlikely of places. Other pictures in the series, such as the one with the huge religious celebration figure shows that these communities could be perfect birthplaces of culture and persistence.

A Closer Look at Bangladesh

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

As I waited outside the exhibition venue, it occurred to me that despite my numerous visits to art museums, I did not recall any Bangladeshi photography.

“Eyes on Bangladesh” consists of photographs that serve as gateways for a more personal look at Bangladeshi culture. Behind each photograph is information that gives audiences insight on what Bangladesh is like. For instance, Shumon Ahmed’s rather personal look at his past allowed me to see the lack of health awareness that can be found in Bangladesh. The way that he harassed his ill mother illustrated this lack of awareness rather poignantly.

A particular composition that stood out to me was Jannatul Mawa’s series of photographs of the matriarchs and maids of various households being seated at the same couch. The idea of having a maid is something very bizarre for someone who was raised in New York. However, despite my lack of exposure to such a concept, this series quickly gave me an intimate feel for what the situation is like in Bangladesh. The awkwardness and rigidity seen in an older generation of maids as opposed to the more lax and natural composure seen in a younger one showed that such a black and white concept was changing with the times. Personal stories about servants being yelled at and treated like garbage as opposed to stories about main families providing funds for servant families to go to college helped illustrate opposite ends of the situation.

Ultimately, this exhibition was greatly enhanced by the stories behind the photographs. There are various series that help paint the joys and struggles of the people of Bangladesh, but most importantly and most simply: a picture.

Eyes on Bangladesh

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

I found that the exhibit was very interesting. My parents are from India, and I have visited the country twice. Viewing the exhibit gave me a nostalgic feeling of my very short time in India. Although they are not the same country, they appeared to be very similar. I assume that this was caused by the fact that they used to be the same country under British rule.  Going to the exhibit was a really great learning experience. I learned a lot about Bangladesh. Before the exhibit, I didn’t really know much about the country because I never really had any reason to look into it. I also found that the pictures brought out the pains that the people from Bangladesh believe in. I really felt that pictures of the birth of a child from a poor background was really eye opening to the over population and the current state of Bangladesh. I was also really surprised about the way in which Bangladesh’s rivers are rising. I was very skeptical to believe that the country is going disappear in due to environmental problems caused by dozens of other countries. This should definitely be a problem highlighted more by environmentalists. Hopefully we can be more aware of this and the problem will not be so imminent.

Kids with cool technologies

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

I cannot say that I really liked or disliked our visit of the exhibition “Eyes of Bangladesh.” There were some positive and some negative sides of our visit. First of all I did not like the installation of phone with photos of the photographer and his mother. It required too much explanation and did not have thematic connection with the rest of the exhibition. The second, I did not like the talk that were given to us. The talk and the photos together forced me to feel pity to those people. I agree they deserve it but my pity is useless for them. It will not make any changes for them. It only makes me feel bad. It leads to my next point. If you block your emotions and start to think there is nothing wrong with lives of those people. As my parents always told me, if it is warm then life is much easer. You do not need a lot of clothes or a warm house, and you can grow food. I remember we were given a comparison, “Bangladesh is the size of the New York state and has population of 125 million people.” It is very dense populated region. But lets think. For millenniums population of the Earth was steady. After industrial revolution it went suddenly up. So it can be concluded that the surplus population of the Bangladesh is the result of better technologies. Centuries ago one third of those people would have died.

This is my reaction when I am forced to feel peaty for other people. Yes I agree they deserve it. However, what about millions of other people who are dying somewhere else? If you want to change something do something. I am actually want to be one of those monsters who want to spent millions of dollars to search water on other planets rather than spend those money to transport water to dry places on the Earth.

Moreover, I was amazed by the work those guys did to make the exhibition. I think it is fantastic and that they need to get more respect and recognition than the photographer. They were the one who wanted to make changes.

I liked the exhibition without talk because it allowed me to see a different culture and lives of different people. However, the talk made me consider those people like little kids that were given cool technologies without explanation what are the consequences of using those technologies.

Belonging in Bangladesh

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11 years
by in Immigration Stories

The exhibit Eyes on Bangladesh, albeit small, was not lacking in its visual rendering of a complex and beautiful culture. While I know little of the history or culture of Bangladesh, many of the works on display gave me a snapshot of what life is like in the chaotic—yet beautiful—country.

I was particularly attracted by the visual narrative Belonging, by Munem Wasif. I felt he successfully translated the nuances of the people of old Dhaka, from the stoic expression of a man getting his beard trimmed to those animated by a chaotic street festival, into an intricate story that portrays the overwhelming sense of community and tradition in the antiquated part of an otherwise modernizing city.

Old Dhaka Belongings Old Dhaka Belongings

Munem’s photographs translate what would likely be prosaic day-to-day scenes, to visual “poems” that capture the melding of public and private life in Puran Dhaka. Munem’s artistic interpretation is particularly striking in a scene where a man seems to be simply cleaning out metal bowls in the street. Instead of using this mundane activity as a documentation of the “struggles of an impoverished city” or some convoluted idea of social repression in old Dhaka, Munem seems to to propagate its intrinsic beauty. In my perspective the photograph plays out like a beautifully intricate ballad; the man’s body language framed by bold contrasts which are artfully matched in his surroundings, and the birds composed like dancers around the water, comprises a chaotic but well-harmonized scene. In this, I believe Munem was able to capture the essence of old Dhaka, and allowed spectators like myself to understand (and even feel part of) the foreign traditions of Bangladesh.

Old Dhaka Belongings

Image sources:

http://www.munemwasif.com/

Eyes on Bangladesh

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11 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

The exhibit “Eyes on Bangladesh” did a phenomenal job of representing the struggles of the people of the country. It did not shy away from the very real difficulties the average person faces. Most ethnic exhibits tend to display the glamour of their heritage even though the glamour may be a minuscule part of the country. “Eyes on Bangladesh” represented their people well and respectfully.

I loved the portion where the maid was seated next to the matriarch of the house on the same couch. The posture of the maid was one of those who have been suppressed, while the matriarch posed as a though she were a queen. However, some of the maids seemed to be favored by their mistress and expressed a more favorable connection than the poorly treated maids. Perhaps, it is the result of a progression of time.

Another picture I especially respected was the one of the female soldiers. I felt that it truly empowered females; they were not simply restricted to the homes, as so many believe. Instead of preserving the social norm, those women went out and accomplished a feat that few women of their time and culture would ever dare.

Overall the exhibit was an accurate portrayal of the history and culture of Bangladesh. Very few exhibits show their respective country’s true history and lifestyle. I really enjoyed the exhibit.

Eyes on Bangladesh

0
11 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

Eyes of Bangladesh did an amazing job presenting a variety of images all displaying different aspects of the country. Different styles of photography combined with different subjects, such as Old Dhaka, independence, economic classes, and environmental damage, kept the viewer interested at each instillation. The first installation, telling the story of one man’s mother, also helped to keep the exhibit interesting as it incorporated sound and framed its pictures differently.

That being said, I preferred the way that most of the exhibit was presented to this first installation. The absence of frames accentuated the photographs where a frame would have distracted. The use of a frame would distract even more from some of the many smaller photographs that were displayed. This would have directly affected my favorite installation in the exhibit: the second installation about Old Dhaka.

I thought that the many photographs of Old Dhaka provided the viewer a good perspective of the area. The photographs displayed many different scenes from celebration, to shaving, to a child alone in the street. This assortment of subjects made the installation extremely interesting, urging the viewer to look at each image individually rather than the group of photographs as one piece of art. In addition to the subjects, the framing of the images and the fact that they were all in black and white were two aspects of the art that I enjoyed. These characteristics made the images more powerful to me as well as making them interesting to look at. My favorite image was the one of a solitary man with a water basin surrounded by crows. Although it is difficult to understand everything that is going on in this image, it is just an amazing photograph. From the way that it is framed to the positioning of the animals I like everything about this picture.

photo (2)

I thought that the exhibit was well done and well rounded. The different installations had a variety of subjects that anyone could find appealing. It is incredible that it was put together with such a low budget.

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