Turjo Mushfiq art Prints

From the series Living Ruins, currently on exhibition at MAC.

Living Ruins by Turjo Mushfiq was made in Dhaka, in an overheated urban landscape where ecological balance has been severely disrupted. The photographer observes that every day, its soil is buried under concrete and its water disappears as the river shrinks away under a density of dust and pollution. The result is the city becomes increasingly dry, grey, and sickly. Trees are cut down, uprooted, or buried beneath the development of the city. Nature survives only in fragments: a tree squeezed between buildings, a patch of soil beside a road, a riverbank, or a neglected park. Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka continues to attract people from every corner of the country, seeking work and trying to survive. The constant influx has overwhelmed the city’s capacity to function, where streets remain unplanned and construction materials occupy what little space is left on footpaths. The artist has witnessed survival and states, ‘I have wandered along riversides, where people come to find a little space to walk, sit, wander, or simply spend time. There are few places left where people can experience even a small sense of openness and wellbeing.’