City Subconscious by Aananda Antahleen
The only task left for the living is to bury the dead,
to seek with hands stretched out
in darkness.
Himalaya Jana
A different Bangladesh. Brilliant with colours. Metropolitan and far from the usual western imagery interwoven with conflicts, poverty and religious rituals. A Bangladesh that we do not recognize and that seems at the same time as familiar to us as any of our metropolises. In Aananda Antahleen's shots, on the other hand, the protagonist is Dhaka in a sort of continuous dialogue, intimate and full of contradictions, with the author's lens. The city emerges as a sort of living being, an alter ego that the photographer sometimes caresses and sometimes sticks with his shots but always keeping intact that thin thread, that constant play of reflections that binds him to the city.
"This story - the author tells us - is about the city of Dhaka. It is a subjective narrative of the different circumstances/situations/experiences in the context of the city. In the end, it is a story of my ongoing conversation with the city, a history of my reality in the urban political-economic context. This work began with my need to tell a story about how broader socio-economic and political structures constantly manipulate and shape the individual. The story has been going on for the last 6 years and is based on the exponential growth of infrastructure, the overwhelming charm of the city and my attempt to reach an understanding with it. At the same time, it is a visual diary of my moments of confusion, frustration, anger, turmoil, happiness and bliss."
BIO
Aananda Antahleen is living in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Coming from a specific privileged social class, it may be possible for him to make a few comments about every other social class, but it's unrealistic to claim a complete understanding. He rejects any idea of objective documentation & the stories he tells are entirely personal. Limits & signs of his personal belief, thoughts, ideology, memories, emotions, & experiences are seen everywhere. As he has spent more & more time telling this story, his views on the city have also constantly evolved. Sometimes it's psychedelic, sometimes it's magic realistic, sometimes it's anthropological, & sometimes it's anarchistic. It's a private visual diary, & it's also a commentary on the situations he encounters.
Instagram: @antahleen (www.instagram.com/antahleen)
