Atish Saha
Photographer, performance artist
Why did you come into photography?
Photography is the way through which I try to express my understanding of this world, which sometimes does not make sense to me. But I believe, to keep trying is very important. Besides photography, I also practice performance art to visualise my thoughts. And also, I always wanted to be a painter and sometimes, I do that as well.
Fazle Rabbi Khan
Atish Saha, 25, who does both photography and performance art, was shortlisted for the Samdani Art Award at the recently held Dhaka Art Summit. This week, YI met with him for an interview.
You participated in the latest Dhaka Art Summit. How was your experience?
I participated in two different sections of the art summit. One was for my photographic work, titled Water, which was curated by Daniel Baumann, director of Kunsthalle Zurich, Switzerland. I made a temporary studio on the bank of the Buriganga River, with a backdrop and studio light. There, I photographed the community which has been using this river for bathing for a long time. This river has become one of the most polluted on earth. The water is almost pitch black. In the performance art section, curated by Nikhil Chopra, Madhavi Gore and Jana Prepeluh, I spent 53 hours continuously in an 8-by-10 feet box. I named my work Memories of my mothers womb. I wanted to challenge the way common people perceive things by posing questions about the identity of difference and diversity. And I was shortlisted for Samdani Art Award 2016.
Do you think institutional education is needed for photography or any other art?
It really depends on and varies from person to person. Its an open choice either to be an institutional artist or non-institutional artist. I believe one can really enjoy the institution and also at the same time, disown the institution. But again, the institution is very much necessary geographically. If a country does not create its own institution, most likely that country wont have much non-institutional practice, either. So, both are important.
Please tell us about your solo and other exhibitions as well.
My first solo exhibition was on the Rana Plaza collapse, titled An act of killing, which was held at Gallery Out Of The Blue in Edinburgh, Scotland last year. I also did a collaborative project named Epitomb in the show 1135, Lives Not Numbers in 2014. And I am going to show my photographic work in a group exhibition in Mumbais TARQ Gallery, which will be held on March 30 this year with the title Lost And Found, which tries to unfold the missing lives of Rana Plaza garments workers through lost belongings, which I retrieved from the rubble of the flattened building.
What is your favourite genre of photography and how do you practice that here in Dhaka?
Documentary photography is my favourite form. The area of documentary is expanding. Right now in Dhaka, a photojournalistic school of thought is expanding and forming more into an art. I absolutely love this transformation. Also, I think Charukola (art faculty of Dhaka University) should open up more and introduce photography and many other new forms of media. The world is evolving so fast, so, today or tomorrow we have to catch the train. We cant keep holding on to the ground.
What suggestions would you give to newcomers in photography?
When I started five years ago, I thought not taking notes was the coolest thing. But now I know that I have lost half of my thoughts over those five years. So, maybe keeping notes is the best way to preserve ones thoughts. One other thing, mentors play a vital role in the long run. I have always gained so much from my mentors Tanzim Wahab and Nikhil Chopra. I am grateful to them in many ways.
What about your future plan?
The plan sounds boring. I am kind of a nihilistic person. I have one desire, not exactly a plan yet, to travel with a photo studio around Bangladesh first, and then everywhere to photograph the people.
