Photo by: Ileya Finberg

Connections: A student’s photographic impressions of Bangladesh, Ileya Finberg’s exhibit is an independent photojournalist project comparing the values and perspectives of people in the United States and Bangladesh.

Finberg is a third year Communications Major.

The photographs are full of color and focus on the daily life of the people. The subjects include native Bangladeshis, the market place and crowds. Finberg traveled to tribal, rural and urban communities during her two-week stay in December.

An interesting aspect of the exhibit are the two large photographs of rough, careworn hands, both belonging to men who work in the market.

Finberg’s images are clear and sharp and technically excellent. The candid portraits generate powerful images. A photo of a Hindi woman standing next to a bourka-shrouded woman on a bus show the diversity of the culture.

Through her project, Finberg shows that some aspects of the cultures of the United States and Bangladesh are similar. “Mother and Daughter” depicts a mother walking hand in hand with her daughter, comparable to what could be seen in the United States.

The market place is one of the primary themes of the exhibit. “Market Man,” “Market Hands,” “Market Woman” and “Rice Jam” are amazing portrayals of the culture in the cities of Bangladesh.

These photos as well as others capture the male-dominated public culture, where very few women are seen. “Market Man” is a print of an old wise man that appears to have seen it all.

“Market Woman” illustrates the rarity of women in public as many men surround her.

“Rice Jam” is a photograph of a crowded street in Punatti where men are moving bags of rice. This image has great depth perspective that shows just how many people are crowded in the street doing a daily job.

“Crowd” is an image of a crowd all staring at Finberg in sheer amazement to see a white person in their midst.

Finberg focuses in on the more arresting aspects of the subject she is photographing.

She crops the photos in a way that creates an eagerness in viewers to see more and also make them feel as though they are there too.

The captions for each photograph help to explain what is going on and give the viewers some good background information. The photographs can be appreciated just as well without the descriptions because of their amazing quality.

Finberg’s exhibit is on display in the Driscoll Ballroom until April 16. April 6, a reception will be held to meet the artist.