What Timelines Can Miss
The 2019 edition of Chobi Mela (on the eve of pandemic) premiered a project by Naeem Mohaiemen, “What Was Chobi Mela And What Comes Next.” Borrowing from the title of Katherine Verdery’s book What Was Socialism And What Comes Next (1996), the project mapped out a 20 year history of three interlinked trends– photography in Bangladesh, the rise of arts organizations, and the evolution of technology.