2007 must have been a good year for Akash so far. He garnered first prize at the Gordon Parks Photography Competition for his work on child labor in Bangladesh, first place at the Asia Press Photo contest and was also listed as one of PDN’s 30 photographers to watch.
Accolades aside, his work focuses on social issues in his native country Bangladesh and other countries. His work captures the attention of the viewer with its strong graphical overtones - it hits you in the gut and the plight of his subjects becomes even more evident.
On Child Labor:
17.5 percent of total children of the 5-15 age group are engaged in economic activities. many of this children are engage(sic) in various hazardous occupations in manufacturing factories. factory owners prefer to employ children as they could pay them less and also able to keep their factories free from trade unionism. a child labour gets taka 400 to 700 ( 1 USD = 70 taka) per month, while an adult worker earns up to taka 5000 per month.
[all images © GMB Akash]
Visit his website to see his other works. I find his series on ship breakers in Pakistan to be very striking; some images are so beautiful that the reality behind them hurts.
That last line - “some images are so beautiful that the reality behind them hurts” - has really blown me away!
And while I’m here, I should say that since discovering it I’ve been really enjoying your blog.
Many thanks, Lucy
Hi Lucy, thank you for the kind words!
It’s a labor of love and I find myself enjoying the writing. ^_^
my goodness, it really is so good that it hurts. It really hits you hard. One thing that struck me, was that if Akash wasn’t from the Indian Sub-Continent, would the pictures feel more remarkable? I don’t think any outsider would be able to get that inside access as easy he is able to do so.
I’m really not sure about that Marv. I believe that good pjs are able to gain access and relate with their subjects, transcending language/cultural barriers. It might be harder for an outsider but the really good pjs are able to do that. It takes more than just access or an eye or a working appendage to take pictures that reach into the viewer’s soul.
hey thanks for introducing this photographer. His work is stunning to view but sad to really think about the story behind the pictures.
As an American living in Bangladesh I’m afraid these scenes portrayed by GMB Akash are far too common. I don’t think you can claim too much insider access for GMB (a good eye and persistence maybe). From my experience in Bangladesh(7 years), I think it is more difficult for Bangladeshis to get their good shot. As an camera toting American I am constantly invited by people to take their picture while my Bangladeshi friends often meet more resistance (in Dhaka).
Child labor is such a complex issue. The child may be the only wage earner for his widowed or abandoned mother.
The father could be passing down the family trade insuring the well being of his descendants.
It could be downright slavery.
The children could be homeless and are working instead of begging.
No easy solutions but I appreciate the compassion and sensitivity that GMB uses in his portrayal of child laborers.
A great book that speaks of these issues in Bangladesh is, “Lost Innocence, Stolen Childhood”. The lost innocence refers to the child labor trade and the stolen childhood refers to middle class children who are never allowed to play and are governed by rigid academic expectations imposed by their parents. The author’s name is Therese Blanche I think.