Exhibition
In
Tanvir's Dream
Mustafa
Zaman
In
our dreams things appear in a strange light. They stand a
world apart from our everyday experiences. Tanvir, a young
photographer seems to want to look at things with that borrowed
sense of strangeness. However, while doing so he used an advance
mode. All of the works that Tanvir puts on display at the
Drik Gallery were changed by the means of the computer technology.
"I have found out that there is immense freedom in transforming
the images applying Adobe Photoshop," exclaims Tanvir,
whose doctored images sparked off both interest and controversy
among photography lovers. Both were expected; and as for criticism
Tanvir is opened minded, he is receptive to what other has
to say about his work.
Tanvir
calls this show "In My Dream," and stresses that
to attain a dream-like effect that he used the computer as
a means to mutate his normally captured images. "One
particular programme was used to change the colour of all
these images. I did not resort to any other manipulation rather
that what is available in 'Curve', Tanvir confirms.
It was
to create an illusion of dream that Tanvir had applied computer
graphics. He has dreamed of an exhibition of this nature a
long time age. In fact, the collection of images that were
on display from August 20 to August 26 is the transformed
photographs that he built up in accretion. He spent one whole
year to take close-up and detailed nature photographs with
this exhibition in mind.
In his
show reality is on fire. The sense of combustion is born out
of the imposition of colours that jar with the subjects that
Tanvir tackled. To quote from the creator's own word, "I
imagined these series of photographs as being far apart from
reality, yet, I thought they would also connect one to the
recognisable world."
Tanvir
has succeeded in his effort. Yet when one calls it a project
to explore 'dreams,' an irrational train of thought crowds
the mind. Dreams are complex amalgams, where hopes, fear,
loss and many other emotional remnants dilutes the conscious
-- or should one say subconscious -- mind. In this show, this
aspect of dream is completely avoided.
Most of
the pictures are unpeopled. Only carefully composed images
of nature that were filtered through magical colour-enhancing
ploy possible through the computer constituted his oeuvre.
It seems the photographer wanted to redefine the familiar.
It is like reality seen through the filter that play havoc
with the known patterns of things because of contrasting juxtaposition
of colours. In many a work shadows takes on a strange new
colour and almost end up bestowing each image with a whole
new pattern.
However,
behind all this outburst of colours and patterns, the sole
motivating factor was to attain beauty. Only few of his works
evoke emotions unrelated to beauty. One such outstanding piece
depicts a crow amidst trees with small leaves that look like
sprinkly patterns. The sepia dominated work is an iconic homage
to the meditative gesture of the crow. It imbues in the onlookers
a romantic longing for a past that one may not even had the
chance to experience. Perhaps this is what dreams are all
about.
Tanvir
avoided projecting images of humans in these works on the
premise that once one put a man within the frame "he
or she should be treated with respect." He is unwilling
to course humans through the same mutation. "When it
comes to humans I am against any kind of distortion. I even
dislike it when portraits are being taken using the wide-angle
lens," explains Tanvir. Between him and his human subjects
he can never overlook the element of 'respect.'
While
confronted with the most obvious question of how he chose
to become a photographer, he blurts out, "It runs in
my blood." It was his father, the banker, who had a passion
for photography. Though the father had to give up his pursuit,
Tanvir, the son, soon followed suit. He picked up his first
camera in 1982. "At first it was just for the fun of
it," Tanvir explains. His first professional foray occurred
in 1987. "It was no different from what I used to do
before. I just started getting paid for something that I enjoyed
doing," he recalls his transition to the world of professional
photography.
"In
My Dreams" is Tanvir's second solo; the first one took
place way back in 1992. "It was a black and white show,
a mode that I still want to work in but the expense thwarts
my ambition," says Tanvir. He adds that now there are
less and less facilities to pursue one's work in black and
white. "Times have changed, we grew up during a time
when we were exposed to a lot of black and white works and
it influenced us. Now, for the new generation, that very thing
has changed and colour photography is catching on." However,
Tanvir still has plans to work in black and white, though
he admits that it has an abstracting effect on the subjects.
Getting
a book published is more important to this thirty-plus photographer.
He has the plan to bring out a book that will explore his
immediate realities in a positive light. "Too often Bangladesh
has been shown in a starkly negative light, I want to portray
a completely different picture, which would also derive from
our own reality," Tanvir proclaims.
UPL has
already published a book titled "post card," where
his works are featured among two other compatriots. Busy with
his assignments to meet the need of the organisations that
frequently hire him, Tanvir continues to pursue his own passion
to further his dream. He also has the plan to come up with
a sequel to the present show.
Copyright
(R) thedailystar.net 2004
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