Profile: Akash and Symbolism
G M B Akashfrom Homeless people in Germany
‘When I met the first homeless here,’ writes photographer G M B Akash on his arrival in Germany, ‘I was confused (. . .) Why are there homeless in one of the richest countries of the world?’
Bangladeshi photographer G M B Akash gives honest descriptions of poverty that escape cliché – they would never be seen heading a charity appeal. Yet he also infuses his images with symbolic power through careful composition.
G M B Akash
from Life at the Dump Yard
In image from Homeless people in Germany, the incongruity of a homeless person, curled foetal, and the Nike logo, clean and indifferent, echos Akash’s amazement that there should be homeless in the world’s richest nations.
Meanwhile, in his study of people making a living out of the dump-yards of Bangladesh, black crows hang like symbols of death over the impoverished searchers.
G M B Akashfrom Life at the Dump Yard
Akash can venture into unpleasant, unglamourous, and dangerous situations that most people would rather not know about, let alone visit. He can do this and bring back photographs that are both beautiful and haunting, that appease our eyes while challenging our heart.
G M B Akash
from Take Me Home
G M B Akashfrom Take Me Home