I Am Who I Am Now: Selections from the Bengali Photo Archive

5 July - 3 August

This exhibition focuses on everyday photographs taken of and by Bengali people over the past 50 years. From snapshots of family life to images documenting the power of community spaces, I Am Who I Am Now illuminates the intricate interplay between individual experiences and the broader socio-political landscape in the East End.

The images are drawn from the Bengali Photo Archive, a new collection of personal and family photographs donated by local people. They are shown alongside work by photographers who have documented the working lives, activism and anti-racist struggles of the Bengali community, including Raju Vaidyanathan, Mayar Akash, Anthony Lam, Paul Halliday, Sarah Ainslie, David Hoffman and Paul Trevor.

The title of the show is inspired by photographer Mayar Akash, who reflected, “I am who I am now” because of his transformative experiences in East End youth work settings. The central importance of such community spaces is shown in images of the Federation of Bangladeshi Youth Organisations, and musicians such as Joi Bangla, State of Bangal and Osmani Knights. These groups brought together politics, activism, arts and music to create a new Bengali youth culture in the 1980s.

The stories behind these photographs are brought to life though recent oral history recordings. The archive has also inspired collaboratively-created works, such as photographs embroidered by mothers and daughters, that share powerful and intimate perspectives on the community’s histories.