Munem Wasif – Machine Matter, 2007-2017 Fragments of a lost legacy, 2007-2017 Man Selling Jute, 2007-2017

Amande Dionne
Blaise Adilon

Venue

Usines Fagor

Lyon

Born 1983 in Dhaka, Bangladesh,where he lives and works.

Mostly comprising photographs, videos and sound installations, Munem Wasif’s oeuvre reflects a longterm engagement with the places and stories of his home country. The Machine Matter installation evokes the demise of the jute industry in Bangladesh following the transfer of power in East Bengal to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947, the widespread use of artificial materials, and the container and cargo-ship boom. Alternating long shots and close-ups, Wasif moves through an abandoned jute factory, amid immobile people. The echo of birdsong, the drip-drip of water and the rays of sunshine create an illusory sense of life in a space reduced to silence. The weight of memories, machinery and bodies underscores the fragility of the economy in post-colonial Bangladesh.