PSA: Beyond the Gaze: A journey through abstract photography and existential confusion

There I was, in the heart of Alliance Française de Dhaka's white-walled La Galerie, with just a handful of people around—five or six to be precise—who appeared utterly absorbed by the abstract photos and portraits on display. 

As for me? I was just standing there, completely, utterly and existentially confused—but that's perhaps more a reflection on my levels of comprehension when it comes to abstract art. Maybe I'm just someone who appreciates a nice landscape shot or a charming portrait, but these images were something different – and each one probably had a profound meaning behind it.

The exhibition was called 'PSA: Beyond the Gaze' – put together and hosted by AFD. 

It was a collection of random images: socks hanging to dry on a cable, obscure faces, close-ups of peculiar textures and strangely cropped silhouettes. One especially memorable piece showed water flowing from an unseen tap.

The lighting of that photo gave it the eerie feel of an image straight out of a crime or horror movie. Another was simply an image of a pair of human legs with stones placed on them, zoomed in uncomfortably close.

I know what you're thinking: "Maybe it's abstract art—meant to be open to interpretation, right?" And maybe it is. But even after reading the wall text, which didn't feel particularly informative or useful, chances are you'd be left with more questions than answers.

Personally, the larger narrative of the exhibition felt overly personal. It was as if the photographers had opened up their journals and plastered their most intimate, introspective memories on the walls for everyone to see. Don't get me wrong, the courage it takes to share such personal work is appreciable, but sometimes, it may fail to connect with the audience at large. 

And here's where the "too personal" part gets tricky. When it comes to art, I expect the pieces to speak to me, I want to connect with them, to feel something, to react other than "I don't get it."  This exhibition was anything but.

It wasn't all bad, though. The gallery was stunning, with high ceilings and fluorescent light pouring in from all corners with a focus on the photos. The atmosphere was calm and contemplative, which was actually helpful for existential pondering. For instance, I stared at a wall with a faded photo of a cloth iron, trying to make sense of it all.

There weren't many people at the venue so it was quite impossible to strike up a conversation with anyone about the meaning behind those photos. Sometimes that is a great tool to broaden one's perspective of things but that could not be made to happen.

In the end, I'm not sure what else was there to gain from this experience other than a deep sense of confusion and a renewed appreciation for straightforward, relatable art. 

Maybe the point wasn't to understand it all but to experience the awkwardness, the confusion and the sheer weirdness of it all. Maybe that's the artist's secret message: that life is confusing and ever-flowing and sometimes, we just have to embrace the messiness of it all. 

Beyond the Gaze is an exhibition following a six-month workshop for young photographers and lens-based artistes from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The workshop was led by Soumya Sankar Bose (India) and Ashfika Rahman (Bangladesh) with editing reviews by Tanvi Mishra.

The workshop encourages participants to explore photography as a social tool, focusing on creating narratives that go beyond documentation to include community collaboration. 

Artistes in the exhibition include Ashima Raizada, Jatin Gulati, Ritika Sharma, Kunga Tashi Lepcha, Rinoshan Susiman, Aniruddha Sarkar and Arshadul Hoque Rocky. Special guests at the event were artist and critic Mostofa Zaman and critic Moinuddin Khaled.

The exhibition is open to the public until Monday (2 September 2024).