Dhaka: The greatest part of living as an artist is being able to be surprised and to understand that the essence of life is hidden in the small and insignificant details of life. These words were spoken by Munem Wasif, a photographer working on visual arts at the Bengal Art Gallery in Dhaka.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Munem Wasif's solo visual arts exhibition titled 'Gradually' began on April 18. The exhibition, which is open to visitors, will run from 4 pm to 8 pm every day until May 31. Regarding his activities and perception of life, Munem Wasif said, "I can't really say why there are so many places in Dhaka and Old Dhaka. I lived in Old Dhaka for seven or eight years. My passion for Old Dhaka has been with me since childhood. I grew up reading the writings of Akhtaruzzaman Elias and Zahir. There is also a literary story behind it."
He further explained that the exhibition features various pictures about Old Dhaka, a place where one is bound to be surprised even with daily visits. The life of the people in Old Dhaka inspires him deeply, prompting him to work on capturing its essence.
When asked about his comfort in working with visual arts, Wasif said, "I worked in this medium, liked it, and chose my life through it. As a result, it is not something I chose separately, but it became possible through trying various means." His book 'Gradually' has been published in conjunction with the exhibition, featuring writings by four authors about his works. Another book, published in Paris in 2012, includes black and white pictures taken there over twelve years.
Munem Wasif recently received the Robert Gardner Fellowship in 2023 to work on the history of indigo cultivation in Bengal. He expressed his long-standing interest in this topic and mentioned a grant he received from Harvard University to support his research. The fellowship, awarded by the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University, includes a scholarship of approximately 5.4 million Bangladeshi taka. Wasif is the first Bangladeshi photographer to receive this honor.
His work often explores themes of transience and insecurity through a combination of photography, moving images, archival documents, and collected materials. His approach presents a multi-layered and sometimes contradictory perception. The images exhibited in 'Gradually' tell the story of life in Old Dhaka, presented through a mixture of photography, film, and sculpture.
Wasif's work has been showcased at prestigious venues such as the Centre Pompidou, Palais de Tokyo, Victoria and Albert Museum, Mus©e Elys©e, Dhaka Art Summit, Chobi Mela, and various international biennales. His publications include Belonging Clementine and Salt Water Tears, and a collection of Bengali language essays on photography, Kamra.
Munem Wasif has also been a fellow at Wissenschaftsschule zu Berlin and currently teaches at the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute while co-curating Chobi Mela. He studied sociology at Dhaka University and later pursued photography at Pathshala.