Sahela Akter Umama is a visual artist and photographer based in Narayanganj, a port city near Dhaka, Bangladesh. She completed her BSS in Economics from Jagannath University in 2022 and began her artistic journey in 2020. Over the years, she has developed a multidisciplinary practice that includes photography, sound, video, text, and new media. Her work explores the complex world of human emotions, resilience, and vulnerability.
In her recent practice, Umama has been exploring interactive and immersive art forms, including internet and code-based works. Her new media practices often use satire in subtle and complex ways to question systems of power, identity, and control. Most of these experimental works are shared through her social media platforms, reflecting her interest in accessibility and digital spaces as sites of artistic dialogue.
She is currently pursuing the two-year “Photo-Media Studies” program at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. Her work has been exhibited at the Indian Photo Festival (2020), Head on Photo Festival in Sydney (2021), FOTOJAJS Fotofest in Kolkata (2022), Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (2022), and in multiple exhibitions organized by the Narayanganj Photographic Club. Umama is also the Deputy Organizing Secretary of the Narayanganj Photographic Club and a member of the Unexposed Collective and Prochondo Collective.