Elephant in the Room (Kamruzzaman Shadhin)

Elephant in the Room — Kamruzzaman's photographs from Cox's Bazar, where Rohingya refugee camps cross the migratory paths of endangered Asian elephants.

“More than 700 thousand Rohingya people have taken refuge in Bangladesh since August 2017, fleeing the violence which began in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Fleeing to save their lives, they settled in temporary refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh…The largest site, Kutupalong-Balukhali, which shelters more than 600,000 people – the biggest settlement in the world – lies along one of the main migratory routes of critically endangered Asian elephants, who travel between Myanmar and Bangladesh.” (Read more)

Elephant in the Room, Kamruzzaman Shadhin, 2018, bamboo, used clothing, Kantha, thread, apart from the Kutupalong camp, the elephants were re-presented in the 18th Asian Art Biennale, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, photo: Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation and artist portfolio

“The monumental installations of the life-sized elephant structures are constructed with bamboo and discarded clothing collected from the Rohingya community in exchange for new clothes, which were then sewn together by the community craftswomen into beautiful “Kantha” (patchwork quilts). Through this participatory artwork, the artist endeavors to find a balance between the co-existence of humans and nature, and to raise awareness about wildlife conservation within the community.” (Read more)

Shadhin is based in Dhaka and Thakurgaon, Bangladesh. He is the founder of the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts, an organization focused on social practice and community art based in the village of Balia in Thakurgaon.

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