Ashfika Rahman

Photograph © Ashfika Rahman

Ashfika Rahman was born in Dhaka in1988. Her practice straddles art and documentary, drawing inspiration from 19th century prints which she re-contextualizes using contemporary media.

Photography is the predominant medium through which Rahman expresses her views on complex social issues. Her project Rape is Political is a portrait series of tribal rape victims in the remote hill areas of Bangladesh. Another work, The Power Box, is a typological documentation of televisions in a remote minority village, to portray the metaphoric objects of mainstream media and power politics. Her recent project, Files of the Disappeared, is a research documentation of forceful disappearance by state security forces. In her practice, Rahman initiates to document the time and challenge the stereotypes of looking at victims, especially at the minors.

Rahman studied photography in Hochschule Hannover, Germany, and received a professional degree in Documentary Photography from Pathshala, Bangladesh. She was a Joop Swart Masterclass awardee by the World Press Photo in 2018. She joined Pathshala (South Asian Media Academy, Bangladesh) as faculty in 2020.

Shows & Exhibitions

2020 Dhaka Art Summit 2020, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2020 Selected Works: Lumix Festival in the gallery f 3 – freiraum für fotografie, Berlin

2020 Lumix Festival 2020, Hannover, Germany
2019 “Princesses-des-villes” at Palais de Tokyo, Paris, France

2019 ‘Catalyst’ Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival, China
2019 “Fabric(ated) Fractures,” Alserkal Avenue, Dubai
2019 “Remedy for Rage” at Objectifs Gallery (Singapore)
2019 “Chobi Mela X” International Photography Festival, Dhaka, Bangladesh

2018 Lumix Festival 2018, Hannover, Germany
2018 Indian Photo Festival 2018 (IPF), Hyderabad, India
2018 Dhaka Art Summit 2018, Dhaka, Bangladesh
2017 Exhibition “Cross Road,” Hannover, Germany
2016 Exhibited in Muslin Festival, National Museum, Dhaka, Bangladesh

This bio was provided by the artist. A more comprehensive profile will be forthcoming.