1. What is your earliest memory of how or what attracted you to photography?
One of my cousins was a photographer and I was very fond of him. Whatever he did back then, I found it all so cool. One of the most amazing things he had at that time was a collection of photography magazines which he would import from abroad. There were no such photography magazines available back then in Bangladesh. Photographs from all those magazines amazed me in various ways and left an impression. That was kind of my first interaction with photography and perhaps led me towards the world of lenses.
2. Would you please share with our readers your experience of studying photography at Pathshala? How has this experience influenced and informed your practice?
When I started making pictures, it was more about visual beauty only. Pathshala is not only a school; it is a philosophical journey. Being in this space created so many questions in my mind and made me look back and rethink what I am. It made me look at my own emotions, my connections and my responsibilities towards society.
The faculty here are passionate about what they do, and the atmosphere is very positive which influenced my inner instincts. Two of my mentors – Tanzim Wahab and Munem Wasif – played a very important role in my journey. My latent thoughts – political perspective, philosophy of life – found a way to reflect. It is under their mentorship that I was able to find a way to visualize my thoughts and concerns.
3. Who or what has inspired you to pursue photography and/or continues to do so?
My mother has always been my greatest inspiration. She is a social worker and works for people whom she is concerned about. And I have grown up seeing that concern and, as a result, with that concern. I pursue photography as my medium to work for and work on people that I am concerned about.
I am hugely moved by Dr. Shahidul Alam. His philosophy of life and commitment to society inspires me to keep working.
4. Is there a book, exhibition or body of work that has really impressed you and maybe influenced your work / life?
Truth Needs No Ally by Howard Chapnick is one book that impressed me in my early days in photography.
5. What draws / drew you to the subject matter you are pursuing in your current work?
Photography is my voice to express the reality that disturbs and haunts me. Usually, I work on issues and community with which I have some kind of personal connection from the past. I begin by researching and analyzing subject matters that have disturbed me for a long time.
6. You have stated elsewhere that you studied Indian classical dance and explained that you feel that the movement of the body and eyes and the synchronization between the steps and the movement have shaped your thought process; and that you wish to have a similar synchronization between the context, content and the photographic process that you work on. Can you elaborate on this for our readers?
Yes, this is absolutely what moves me. I believe that the entire process of a work is an intense journey and has a performative quality, with the content and process having a dialogue between them. For example, my project Files of the Disappeared is a work on people who went through custodial torture and were not allowed to speak out. For this project I collaborated with a professional psychological counselor to provide them counseling to help them get over the trauma they were going through. Being photographed and writing about their emotions on their own portrait, using stitching on the portrait, is a metaphoric representation of their ill treatment in custody. All of these actions are connected to each other and form a part of their meditation and healing process.
I believe when we are working on social issues, we need to be more sensitive and responsible for each of our actions during the entire process. We need to think how we can possibly use photography and its various processes in a way where it can play a bigger role; wherein each action speaks its own and becomes part of a movement.
7. What led you to meld other media into your photography, especially in your project Rape is Political?
I think it is now the time to think beyond the medium and not just be concerned about information or thoughts that we are pursuing and that is why I adopt many media in some of my projects. In Rape is Political, I have used paintings on the face to hide the identity of the victims. Also, I have used an alternative printing method – which is gold-coated albumin print and oval format. This is known as a process for royal portraits in early 1900s. My purpose of using this manual process is a means of showing solidarity to tribal life and at the same time to raise questions on how one decides to visually execute or process on the basis of a protagonist or the subject.
8. What led you to work in the complex borders of India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar for your project Rape is Political?
When I was thinking about what to work on for my personal project for the first time, it was clear to me that I had to work on something that really disturbed me and haunted me; something that was truly personal and that I really feel from my heart. I grew up seeing my mother work as a social worker in this region. One day, she brought a tribal child rape victim to our place to provide her with shelter. I was also a kid back then. Having lived with her changed my perspective towards rape victims. That experience has always stayed with me. When I had to work on something that was personal, it was clear to me that it had to be on rape victims, and I wanted to dig more into this.
As a result of this, I ended up being there, where rape is more politically complex than I ever thought or imagined.
9. What is it about mainstream perspectives and the visuals created by visual artists that draws you to challenge them?
Being a visual artist / photojournalist, we have to take responsibility for our visual execution as our visual narrative has a huge impact in society. There are times when the visuals we create actually result in an unexpected impact. For instance, the way victims have been presented through mainstream media and other visual media for ages, and continue to be, makes them more vulnerable. Consciously or unconsciously, we end up making them look weaker, seeking sympathy, and this becomes accepted by society.
I believe that it is high time that we challenge the mainstream perspective that we have created and realize the true power and impact of visuals as visual narratives can play a huge role towards positive social changes.
10. Do your projects typically run in parallel, or do you focus on one project at a time?
I usually work on one project at a time as I get consumed and obsessed by the issue or content that I am working on. I totally disconnect from everything else in order to connect with the people I am working with and totally devote myself to the subject and issue at hand. Before moving on to a new project, I usually take a long break and then begin my research; it takes me more time to research a project than to execute it.
As a professional, of course, I have to multitask at various levels.
11. How do you measure success or that a body of work is going well?
My work, for me, is an ongoing journey driven to find facts. The success of it lies in my pursuit of facts that need to be told. As long as this is happening, it goes well for me.
12. Do you ever find yourself creatively ‘stuck?’ Is there something that is particularly helpful to you in overcoming this?
I was suffering from cancer for a long time and this taught me a very different lesson – that it is our life that matters the most and that life is too short to be stuck. No matter what we do, we have to take care of ourselves first. Whenever I am stuck, I look into my inner self. I travel. Be with people I don’t know at all. I try to understand the simplest philosophy of life. All of this surprises me and excites me for the simplest things in life. I reflect on life itself again and do not find myself stuck any more.
13. How much effort do you put into getting your work shown? Is this important to you? Does showing your work feed your creative process, or does it distract you from it?
As I mentioned earlier, almost all of my work focuses on socio-political issues; issues that are hidden under media censorship. So, the purpose of my work is to expose and tell the facts that need to be told. Because of this, it is very important to find the right avenue to show my work.
Since the work I make is politically sensitive, I have to always look for a sustainable and more impactful platform to show the works. This takes a lot of effort and is a part of the journey. Of course, showing work to a wider audience and being appreciated is kind of inspirational, however, I try to be focused on the purpose of my journey and avoid distraction.
14. Do you feel that there are adequate opportunities and avenues to share / show your work in Bangladesh, or do you always look for such opportunities abroad?
I cannot say that we have enough opportunities to show our work in Bangladesh, as we are still trying to organize visual platforms. Also, media censorship is one big obstacle in my country. And it’s quite true that a number of visual media practitioners depend on international opportunities abroad till date.
As far as my work is concerned, since it is mostly focusing on socio-political issues in Bangladesh, I am under surveillance from time to time. And because of its sensitive subject mater, it is politically somewhat complicated to have it shown in my home country. At the same time, the purpose of my work is to document it and get the spotlight on some of the grave issues, which are hidden under media censorship. So, I have to find the right balance between all of this.
We do have two very responsible platforms where we can show politically charged and sensitive work – the Chobi Mela International Photo Festival and Dhaka Art Summit, where I have exhibited time to time. Having said this, I also need an international platform to have a wider viewership.
15. We know that fine art or documentary photography is not always enough to make a living. Some photographers / artists do commercial work, others teach. Are there other photography related areas that you work with in order to supplement your living? Some that you would recommend aspiring photographers might consider?
It is really difficult to make a living by photography, especially in South East Asia. The growing market and continuous expansion in photography are creating some opportunities. For example there are many local and international photo festivals that have started in the last couple of years and so many galleries have opened up. If we pay close attention to the changing Asian photography industry, we will clearly recognize the need for curators, gallerists, researchers, and festival planners. I have worked at the Dhaka Art Summit as festival research planner in the past, which is for a short duration and provides learning as well as an income. Having print sales is another option for photographers.
16. Digital technology has changed photography drastically over the last few years. Did you initially embrace the changes or resist them? Do you believe the changes have been good for the medium or not?
There is no doubt that this new development in technology came with a wider opportunity and has now become a medium for all. Political and aesthetic control over the medium is invisible here; it is more simple and honest. Photography will write a new visual history of time, though we miss the physical touch in digital photography. I believe there will be more changes and developments and I am totally open to exploring the new era. Even though my practice is more into research and old techniques, I am open to exploring an aesthetic and political collaboration with new practice.
17. Do you think there is a universal language that photography uses? Do you think that Bangladeshi photographers are finding that they are judged by western criteria and standards?
If there is any universal language that exists, then that is of the truth. Photographs all over the world follow truth of time.
Yes, in practice not only Bangladesh but South East Asian photographers are also judged by western criteria from time to time. As long as we are dependent on the western market, we cannot ignore this fact. However, in my opinion, Bangladeshi photographers have established their own identity; they have their own story to tell, with their own philosophies, politics, and emotions.
18. With your years of experience (perhaps not so many), of the lessons you have learned, what is the one thing you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
Speak your heart, no matter what will happen tomorrow! That you always need to believe in your own truth; that you need to tell the story that you believe in; that there is always room for fact – I wish someone had told me this!
19. How has it been living through this lockdown period for you, in terms of your practice and /or producing work?
It has been difficult for obvious reasons. However, I have a different perspective as well. Isolation can be a gift to any creative mind. It has been a time to realize how far I have to go!
I have been taking it easy and I am not pushing myself to produce something immediately out of it. I am rather using my time researching a project that I am working on and future projects. Also studying and working on some publication and teaching at Pathshala.
20. How would an interested collector go about buying your work?
They can directly contact me via eMail: ashfika02@gmail.com
21. If you didn’t do photography, what other career might you have pursued?
This is an interesting question. Even I have thought about this in the past. I am not so sure – probably I would be a professional dancer. And tell stories through dance. In either case, I was meant to be a storyteller.
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Copyright © Ashfika Rahman
20 November
