Notes from Dhaka

Discover the work of Mehzabin Mahmud Prioty

Mehzabin Mahmud Prioty is a visual storyteller based in Dhaka with academic roots in Health Economics from the University of Dhaka. Her journey with photography began in childhood, taking portraits with her father’s camera, but it was during the solitude of the COVID-19 pandemic—immersed in the works of filmmakers like Abbas Kiarostami, Wong Kar-wai, and Andrei Tarkovsky—that her passion truly took shape. Deeply inspired by cinema, her photography explores visual poetry and a spiritual way of seeing.

As a woman in photography, are there any stories you want to particularly focus on?

Well, I’m drawn to capturing the stillness in human beings. But as a woman, I think I’m more capable of reading women. As I witness the transitions in the lives of the women around me, I often feel the urge to express what I’m sensing through the camera. I’m still finding my way through that, exploring how to translate those feelings into images.

Nature appears to be a central theme in your photographs. What draws you to this subject, and are you working on a larger body of work exploring it?

I’ve always associated the surroundings with a state of being. Like, when I see a tree just existing—still, grounded—it often feels connected to my own physical or psychological state. That’s why I find things in nature worth capturing. It’s my way of reaching out, hoping there are others who feel the same way. I'm not sure if I’m working on a larger body of work around it just yet, but I do find myself returning to it again and again. So maybe, unintentionally, something is forming.

How has living in Bangladesh shaped your artistic voice? Are there any artists from Bangladesh who have influenced your work?

Living in Bangladesh has definitely shaped my artistic voice. As a woman in Dhaka, I often feel the curious gazes on me whenever I pull out my camera—both male and female gazes. They stop walking and stare, making the whole situation feel different. Even though I sometimes want to capture the chaos of this city, I’m still struggling to overcome those moments. I think that tension is reflected in my images.

Bangladeshi photographer and visual artist Sarker Protick has always influenced my work, both consciously and unconsciously. Through his work, I’ve made sense of what I want to capture and what I can capture.

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