Life in frames

(L-R) Sunlight illuminates working hands & A Persian girl sitting on the grass

A question immediately cropped up on viewing the exhibition: How did these enthusiastic photographers get together? Shazida Halim Poly, one of the members of the circle, reminisced, "A few of us Bangladeshi photographers went to India in January '04, to attend a photography conference. This was a window of opportunity to meet photographers from various countries. We were fortunate to come across the Iranian photographers. It didn't take too long for us to become very good friends."

Not surprisingly, good teamwork and splendid photography were in evidence at the exhibition. Dr MR Hashemi, Cultural Counsellor, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, inaugurated the show and said, "This exhibition will acquaint the visitors of Bangladesh and Iran with photography and talented photographers."

Organised by the seven Bangladeshi photographers: Bulbul Ahmed, Shazida Halim Poly, Dilip Kumar Das, KM Jahangir Alam, Mohammad Zubaer, Anower Hossain and Mahbubur Rahman Dipu; the exhibition featured 46 photographs by 14 photographers. Among the Iranian counterparts were Ebrahim Bahrami, Ali Karimi Rastegar, Kazem Hosseini, Mahnaz Sahaf, Hashem Javed Zadeh, Majid Bondar Moghaddam and Shahrokh Fathi.

"It's a friendly exhibition totally sponsored by us," said Jahangir. "The focus of the exhibition is to promote the positive aspects of the two countries," he added.

The selection procedure was undertaken by Bangladeshi photographers. Amplifying on this aspect, Poly commented, "We received around 60 magnificent photographs from our Iranian counterparts but due to lack of sponsorship and space we could display only 23 photographs of them."

The traditional vision of photography from the Persian world seemed to consist exclusively of sepia-toned images. The 23 photographs depicted the splendours of Iran and the richness of Persian culture, such as the ruined city of Persepolis and the mosques at Isfahan, contemporary scenes of city and rural life drawn from every corner of Iran and beyond.

The glimpse of a Burkha clad woman in the fish market or another woman attired likewise with her eyes closed standing at the entrance of an old edifice, while attired in colourful traditional dress, a woman sitting in a clothing store and the paragon of beauty -- a Persian girl sitting on the grass-- were just the chronicles of the arty portraits of the Iranian women.

Other photographs, depicting lifestyle, nature, portrait, action, still life and architecture were also mind-boggling. The composition of a turquoise wall and orange bench and an old man in blue, passing by or a regal Persian carpet and many more were a delight to one's eyes.

While the Iranian photographs brought out the melancholy shades of gray and blue the Bangladeshi photographs were more colourful and more down to earth. The serene and lyrical beauty of the pastoral Bangladesh and its people were exemplified through 23 outstanding photographs. The magical ray of the sunlight illuminating the hands of a lady working at a granary, the sunset mirrored on the water, the lyrical view of a boat at sunset, the traditional cultivating method with two bulls and a farmer and the beautiful autumn sky -- they were just awe inspiring.

So what were the basic differences between Bangladeshi and Iranian photographers? "The different anthropology and geographical variations make the real differences. They showcase Iran's recent history and contemporary life as much as its past, but above all convey a vibrant sense of the country, its art, and its people," said the Bangladeshi counterparts.