Immigration Stories

Eye on Bangladesh

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10 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

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.

Bangladesh and its Developing, Rich Culture Over Time

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

As an immigrant born in Pakistan, which is next to Bangladesh and shares many of its cultural aspects, I found this gallery visit quite relatable. Yet, despite knowing a lot about the general culture, I also saw the country through the eyes of the curator, who depicted a mix of uplifting and depressing images that embodied the essence of the country.

Many of the pictures showcased in the gallery “Eyes on Bangladesh” depicted the culture of the country as unique–full of rich values and of a troublesome past. Bangladesh has many rich features, especially well-depicted in the pictures taken of Dhaka. As seen in many of the photographs, Dhaka is where resides a major Hindu population and where occur many of the Hindu festivals, akin to Christmas in western countries. The curator portrays the joy and rich culture present in Bangladesh, with streets full of people celebrating and performing their own traditions. At the same time, we also see pictures that portray barren and broken-down streets and pictures of people working very hard in factories and sleeping in tightly-packed spaces. They are forced to work in poor conditions, for long hours, similar to the sweatshops in America almost a century ago. There is still much poverty to overcome in Bangladesh, but the gallery shines a positive outlook on this issue. The gallery also shows that Bangladesh had a rich history of conflict and strife: the 1971 split of the former East and West Pakistan into the modern Pakistan and Bangladesh was depicted far more violently than I’d imagined, which again speaks of the rich culture and past of the country.

If we view the gallery in order, starting with the telephone conversation, going around clockwise, and ending with the portraits of people posing as what they most desire, we actually see a very distinct message about Bangladesh. The gallery starts off, mentioning the strifes and struggles that Bangladesh as a country has faced over time, and it also shows how it has overcome struggles and grown into a culturally-diverse country with time. The gallery portrays growth and development of Bangladesh. It shows the past–the revolution. It shows the present–like the cultural custom of having maids. It shows the future prospects–the fact that Bangladesh might go under sea level within a few decades, and that there is major development of buildings. The final selection of works, displaying people dressed up to fulfill their dreams, ends on the positive prospects for Bangladesh’s future. In fact, we can go back full circle, back to the reminiscent work about the artist pondering on the telephone call with his mother, which portrays the message that though the past has been troublesome, the future looks better.

Eyes on Bangladesh Reflection

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

The “Eyes on Bangladesh” photography exhibition was an honest and gritty recount of the past and present events that have culminated into the current embodiment of Bangladesh. It is refreshing not to see a minimization of some of the country’s flaws, even if it didn’t outright embrace these imperfections.

The particular photographic series showing the discrepancy between and the dichotomy of treatment of house servants had a very poignant effect on me. The differences in the ways the “servants” and their “masters” presented themselves are a testament to such shortcomings of this somewhat newly formed country. For example the faces of the masters expressed contentment, satisfaction, and serenity—ones that show the enjoyment they have as a result of the way their lives have fallen into place—while on the other hand, the faces of the servants were ones of exhaust, distress, and discomfort with their situation. The story that was related of servants not being able to sit on their master’s couch is allegorical and really is symbolic of a larger problem that is presented in the Bengali culture.

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Another particular photographic series, which appeared to be very sentimental and exemplary of Bangladesh, was the avant-garde art display of the phone call conversation, which takes a stance on mental health awareness. It is very disturbing in this day and age, to see the overwhelming stigma associated with persons afflicted with mental health issues, which certainly hinders the progress should be made in dealing with psychiatric issues. The artwork seemed to be presented in a nostalgic fashion, yet desiring to change the past, but I would also interpret the photographs as presenting something positive in the future.

The final photographic series expresses the sentiments and aspirations of the Bangladeshi people, which parallel the desires and hopes of the country. The curatorial intentions of this exhibit were successful in presenting an accurate depiction of Bangladesh, its people and its challenges.

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Many Eyes on Bangladesh

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

As a longtime friend of a Bengali and having visited his home before, I was exposed to some Bengali culture but never in the way the exhibit displayed it. My friend’s father was born in East Pakistan at the time (now Bangladesh) and I delved a bit into the history of Pakistani conflicts. This trip really threw more light on the war with the photographs of the women soldiers and the destruction of buildings. I also knew that Bangladesh was victim of one of the highest population densities in the world, which led to very cramped conditions.

Coincidentally, the day after we went to the exhibit, the New York Times had this as their main headline article: “Facing Rising Seas, Bangladesh Confronts the Consequences of Climate Change.” It really is shocking at how much of an impact climate change is having on Bangladesh when people on the opposite side of the world seems unfazed by the issue. There is a lot of injustice in the fact that developing countries are suffering the most from the pollution of industrious, developed countries. The article says that about 18 million people in Bangladesh will lose their homes to the ocean by 2050 and as such, people are arguing that developed countries should open their borders to those immigrants affected by climate. After seeing the conditions in Bangladesh through the photos on the exhibit, I truly feel a lot more sympathy for their problems and really makes me think how much I take for granted.

Rachel Weintraub: Eyes on Bengladesh

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

The exhibit, Eyes on Bangladesh, was truly eye opening. The exhibit began with a personal story exemplifying the lack of medical knowledge in Bangladesh. It starts with audio of a conversation of a man making fun of his wife’s peculiar appearance, together with his own mother, due to her deficiency. He is trying to go back into the past, hoping to correct his horrible mistreatment of his wife. The exhibit then shifted towards town life, full of culture and millions of people. The next group of photos shed light on Bangladesh’s fight for independence in 1971. The photographer wanted to show that even in 1971, women contributed to the war. There was a picture of a full army of women carrying guns. The next group of photographs exhibited what child birth is like in the worse off towns. The photographer came from a very poor family taking his pictures with a camera held together by a rubber band. His work, truly inspiring, is now world famous. The next group of photos showed the woman of the house sitting next to their maids on the couch, something that is strictly forbidden. From the way that they were sitting, all uptight with their feet together, one could just sense the fear in the maids. This went to show the large gap that exists between the wealthy and their help. The exhibit then moved to the clothing industry, showing the terrible conditions in which large families were force to live on top of each other. The photographer’s work has influenced him immensely and he is now an avid activist, protesting the terrible conditions that the Bangladeshi garment industry workers are forced to work under. He shot gut-wrenching pictures of the famous factory that collapsed killing thousands. We moved on to Bangladesh’s climate. It is predicted that in a couple of decades Bangladesh will become the next Atlantice. The climate changes so severely affect the Benglasdeshians that they are forced to build moveable homes and farming has become even more laborious than it already is. The last installment of pictures, shows people photographed in a set designed to portray their dreams, leaving one with a sense of hope that is extremely effective.

 

The Eye-Opening ‘Eyes on Bangladesh’ Exhibit

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

As a Bangladeshi-American, my knowledge on the history of Bangladesh, her cultures, her religions, her people and her customs are vast and thorough. However, there is always more to learn. The ‘Eyes on Bangladesh’ Exhibit did exactly that: it furthered my knowledge on my own background.

For one, I had not known of the progress that photography has made in Bangladesh in the past few decades. From my experience and from my family, I have come to the understanding that photography really wasn’t seen as a big deal to most Bengali people. It’s an activity for the wealthy class to pursue if there is nothing else to do. But recently, photography has taken a new meaning. To many Bengali people of today, photography also means opportunity. Bangladesh has so many emotional images that one can capture on a constant basis, and the fact that more and more people want to capture these moments really show the new wave of realism and modernity that is hitting the shores of this cultural hotspot.

Furthermore, I was interested in what Professor De had to say about studying the mental health of Bengali citizens. Many Southern Asian people are victims of minor mental disorders such as depression. These disorders are effectively treatable with something as simple as counseling. Yet the depravation of mental health professionals in these regions of the world account for a giant wave of sadness. Treating these problems can uplift a nation, and it’s something I personally will be looking into.

Finally, the Exhibit has instilled much fear within me. According to the guide, Bangladesh will be under water within the next five decades. International efforts must begin NOW if significant disaster is to be avoided when that fateful day comes. I worry that my family will be in danger (and I have a lot of family all around Bangladesh), and so I must begin helping them and my homeland now. In this way and many other ways, this Exhibit has truly been eye-opening.

Eyes on Bangladesh

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

The most interesting part of the exhibit was the first set up that was explained to us.  The set up included two pillars with pictures on each one, facing a foggy window with an audio track playing.  What struck me most was not the message behind the art and what it meant, but the implication that art still exhibits hidden messages through visual representations and metaphors.  Most of the other parts of the exhibit were all photographs, so the message is clear.  However, for a piece of art such as the one described, requires more abstract thought and attention to detail.  Although I am not implying that the others are worse in any way, but I enjoy the analysis of art and what specific things represent, especially with the first piece in the exhibit.  The setup also adds a three dimensional aspect to the message as opposed to a two dimensional picture.  The placing of each pillar was very exact and the audio truly taps into the emotional aspect of the art.  The background information helps to understand what the artist intended to do but the work of art is still beautiful regardless.

The information from the exhibit was basically new and I never knew about these conditions in the country of Bangladesh.  It opened my eyes to more than just New York City.

Eyes on Bangledesh

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10 years
by in Immigration Stories

The photographs that had the most appeal to look at and analyze were the ones in the series on the matriarch and the domestic servant.  The two were isolated on the family couch and the issue was more or less contained within a domestic sphere.  The pair with the giggling younger servant and the matriarch wearing denim jeans was an interesting depiction of modernization in Bangladeshi families.

The only exhibit with no people (the urbanization one) was also a paradox.  Although there were no people, the photographer showed the results of people hauling sand onto the shore and the tire lots where many people worked and lived.  The photograph even managed to show hope in the football flags raised above the tires.

I volunteered at an event in this space last night where writers and poets brought works of fiction to read in front of certain photographs.  While they did not exactly hit on the origin and artist meaning behind the photographs, the sentiment was really spot-on.  The woman who read in front of the piece on the domestic workers and the matriarchs spoke about dichotomies in her own life that were similar to that of having someone cleaning your home but never sitting on your couch.  She spoke about the idea of practicing labor law but going to a restaurant where, just behind the back doors, underpaid and overworked laborers were snapping string beans.

The photography space was also really family oriented, which surprised me.  A lot of artwork is unaccessible, both physically and intellectually.  But yesterday night, there were the curator’s relatives placing used water bottles on the stand with the photographs of the mother with iodine-deficiency, or young children fighting loudly about who got to take pictures of the speakers.

From Branches to Roots

1
10 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

telephone

New York is made up of millions. Millions of people. People who come from different backgrounds. Backgrounds which have unique characteristics. Characteristics which can be portrayed through various forms of art and expression. Expression that lends an eye to another New Yorker who may otherwise remain forever blind to any particular facet of society.

On March 28th, 2014, this society was that of the residents of Bangladesh. Some book long ago told me that Bangladesh had the world’s highest population density, that is, the most people per square kilometer of inhabitable land within the nation’s borders. When the tour guide conveyed to us that Bangladesh had approximately 20 times the population of New York within a similar geographical area as that of New York, I reasoned that if not at the top, it had remained at least in the top 5. Thousands have emigrated to the United States and ‘branched’ out, so to speak, to provide the connection line between those who want to know halfway across the world, to their roots in the opposite hemisphere.

The pictures were striking and left me motionless and speechless for a number of minutes. While I could go on about how certain ones took me to that scene in Bangladesh such as putting me on the beach where the man combed his hair, or in the slum where the woman lay pregnant, or behind the camera of people acting their fantasies, there was something much bigger than that encompassing the experience. The exhibit itself had a story behind it and the entire room became a work of art once we knew the effort behind the project. When opening a gallery, a viewer at random may or may not know the story behind acquiring the real estate, maintaining the building, obtaining the lease, how these financial obligations are fulfilled or any of the troubles and leisures behind them – this was not the case for “Eyes on Bangladesh” and thus it was all the more worthwhile and fulfilling to have been there and experienced it first hand and in person.

Eyes On Bangladesh

0
10 years
by in Blog posts, Immigration Stories

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My favorite part of the Eyes on Bangladesh exhibition was the first series by Munem Wasif, entitled “Belonging.” I thought this was interesting because the themes he mentions in his writeup along with the context Professor De gave are readily apparent in many aspects of the works displayed. Overall, the arrangement of the photos was different than the other series because rather than relying on a linear arrangement or one with some sort of progression or distinct uniformity, they were scattered in a chaos mimicking that shown in the pictures themselves, yet there was a definite center, where the photographs became more dense. I think this idea of chaos around a center is related to the theme of belonging. The type of belonging discussed in the writeup next to the series is community––many parts comprising a whole, each part not necessarily needing to be uniform to fit together.

 

The pictures themselves are interesting as well in that they play off of stark contrasts in light, which is accentuated by the greyscale color scheme. If you look at some of the examples below, you can see that each photograph uses light/dark contrast to accent some center. Wasif also uses lines to draw the eye to a center (like in the boat picture below.) Other than the content of the photos, this composition choice makes the them predominant through all aspects of the series.   All the pictures I took have a glare on them, but ignoring that, notice the central object in all of the images. 

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