‘Still pictures are not still…’ said Mahasweta Devi. She consistently used the words stheer chitro (exact translation – ‘still images’). Still pictures, she went on, inspire us. They move us. They make us do things. However, I thought to myself, many who are working on visual and cultural theory may not agree. Some would be likely to say, things are not as simple as that.
Rupert Grey, media lawyer, photographer, adventurer, has been at every Chobi Mela since 2004, holding media law jam-sessions in Pathshala, exhibiting his photographs or delivering lectures on copyright in a digital age. He recalls the night he arrived in Dhaka for Chobi Mela IV, and reflects on fifteen years of attending the festival.
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.
যমুনার তীরে, একশ বছর আগে জন্ম আমানুল হকের। পথে-প্রান্তরে, নদী-নাওয়ে ঘুরে বাংলার জীবন ও প্রকৃতিকে তিনি পরম মমতায় ক্যামেরায় তুলে ধরেছেন। নদী, মানুষ আর প্রকৃতির নিবিড় সম্পর্কই ছিল তাঁর ধ্যান, যা তাঁকে বাংলার সৃজনশীল আলোকচিত্রের এক কিংবদন্তিতে পরিণত করেছে।
Chobi Mela, the first festival of photography in Asia, is one of the most exciting ventures that Drik and Pathshala has initiated. The first Chobi Mela – International Festival of Photography was held in December 2000 – January 2001. It is the most demographically inclusive photo festival in the world and is held every two years in Dhaka.