Through Argentine eyes...

Evocative images from the calendar by Patricia Klink

Patricia has been a photographer by choice since her childhood. She has taken a collection of photographs she took in Bangladesh and prepared a calendar for the year 2006. In the pictures she has been able to focus on the mundane issues of our daily lives, which often get unnoticed and also projected the beauty and optimism that lie within.

When asked about her motivation for this project, Patricia explained that she has had a 'gypsy'-like existence. When her father, previously in Buenos Aires, joined the World Health Organisation, the family followed him to countries such as Ghana, Sierra Leone, Aghanistan, England, Ireland and Switzerland. Since her marriage to Rudolf, who is the CEO of Siemens, she has lived in USA, Argentina, Libya, India, Thailand, Philippines and Bangladesh.

In the course of her travels, she has closely observed the lives of people from different cultures. Yet Bangladesh, she says, wins hands down in terms of its rich diversity of art, landscape, religion and tradition. The fact that these people are extremely hospitable, even if financially constrained, gives her a feeling that even though she is far away from home, she is at home. As a gesture of gratitude to the Bangladeshis who have enriched her life in many ways, she offers her work to them. The proceeds from the sale of calendars will be donated to charity in Bangladesh.

The images in the calendar are riveting. For instance, in the page for the month of February of her calendar, she has placed a picture of a girl readying herself for her marriage. With henna patterns on her hands, she has a Mona Lisa smile as she looks forward to a new life ahead. On the page for May, is a picture of men cooking biryani. These men are day-laborers, yet their respectful and humble attitude towards their guests has been artistically pictured through Patricia's lens.

The entire calendar paints a picture of Bangladesh as seen through the unbiased eyes of a foreigner. It consists of an array of photographs, which capture a variety of subjects in different surroundings: boats, beaches, plays being staged, smiling kids, ancient remains, colourful traditional dresses and rickshaw art. It conveys a message to the world that Bangladesh is not poverty stricken as many people living outside Bangladesh think but its people are rich in heart and heritage.

Patricia now looks forward to present an exhibition on Argentina, early January or February 2006. Her plan is to display photographs, handicrafts, books and music such as folklore and tango. "I intend to hold a cultural event so that people can come and see what Argentina is all about and some football clips for the soccer fans!"