CALL FOR ENTRY Chobi Mela X International Festival of Photography, 2019
CALL FOR ENTRY

Chobi Mela X
International Festival of Photography, 2019

PLACE
No heaven, no hell, no ever after, do I care for when I’m gone
Peace here I seek, in this sand and soil, this place where I was born
As oceans deep, as deserts wide, as forests and fences loom
As children die, as lovers sigh, no cross, no epitaph, no tomb
As bullets whiz by, as shrapnel shard, as hate pours from above
As blue skies curse, the wounded I nurse, as spite replaces love
It is home I long, as I boundaries cross, a shelter that I seek
A world for us all, white brown short tall, the boisterous and the meek
If my bosom is raised, or my beard is long, or I sleep with the ‘wrong’ kind
If my politics isn’t yours, nor my country of birth, a terrorist you will find
You return my boat to the cruel sea, back to the wars you wrought
Walls you will raise, to keep me at bay, my children in danger fraught
I love the land I was born in, the tree that gave me shade
My broken home, my shattered dreams, slain lover that goodbye bade
My slanted eyes, my dread lock hair, my tongue though strange may be
I bleed red blood, as flows in your vein, Is there a place in your heart for me?
-Shahidul Alam
 
 

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Chobi Mela X will be launched on February, 2019. The theme of this edition is PLACE.
Artists and Curators are invited to submit work of photography/video/sound/installations, and are encouraged to explore the boundaries of their medium. Apart from solo exhibitions, collective/curated works are also encouraged. The festival will feature exhibitions in print and digital form.
Last date for submissions is May 05, 2018. Selected artists will be notified by email on May 31, 2018.
Step 1: Please fill in the application form. Download Application Form
Step 2: Create a zip file with exhibition images or send a link of your video art/multimedia pieces/slideshows adhering to the following specifications
• images must be 1200 pixels on the longer side with JPEG 5 compression
• file name of the image should include the sequence followed by the artist’s name. Example: 01John.jpg
• maximum 50 images can be submitted, please also send some images of your previous installations/exhibitions of the work if available
• image information must include title, date, caption details, copyright and credit etc. in its file info
• video art, multimedia pieces, slideshows to be shared with an active web link
Step 3: Create a separate word document which should include all image information: artist’s, short bio (max. 300 words), work title, date, captions, copyright and credit etc. Name of this file should include artists name Example: John Captions.doc. 
Submit your portrait (1200 pixels on the longer side with JPEG 10 compression)
Step 4: To complete the submission, send an email to chobimelabd@gmail.com with following attachments or a we-transfer link with;
1. Filled in application form
2. Zip file with images or an active web link of video/multimedia/slideshow
3. A word document with all image information and your 2000 pixel portrait
Submissions should reach Chobi Mela by May 05, 2018.
Chobi Mela retains the right to publish artworks and text from shows selected for exhibit, in promotional material relating to the festival. Such content will not be used in any other form, unless specifically authorised by the artist as in the case of a calendar. Chobi Mela does not sponsor shows and no fees will be paid to artists. However, for work that is selected, Chobi Mela expects to receive digital files for printing and the organisers will bear the cost of printing. The festival will organise gallery space and an opening reception for selected exhibitions. Chobi Mela will also publish a catalogue, which will feature all participating artists. Selected exhibitions may be toured internationally. The presence of local and international media partners will ensure extensive coverage in media.
Secretariat
Chobi Mela International Festival of Photography
Dhaka, Bangladesh
chobimelabd@gmail.com


Author: Shahidul Alam

Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018. A photographer, writer, curator and activist, Shahidul Alam obtained a PhD in chemistry before switching to photography. His seminal work “The Struggle for Democracy” contributed to the removal of General Ershad. Former president of the Bangladesh Photographic Society, Alam set up the Drik agency, Chobi Mela festival and Pathshala, South Asian Media Institute, considered one of the finest schools of photography in the world. Shown in MOMA New York, Centre Georges Pompidou, Royal Albert Hall and Tate Modern, Alam has been guest curator of Whitechapel Gallery, Winterthur Gallery and Musee de Quai Branly. His awards include Mother Jones, Shilpakala Award and Lifetime Achievement Award at the Dali International Festival of Photography. Speaker at Harvard, Stanford, UCLA, Oxford and Cambridge universities, TEDx, POPTech and National Geographic, Alam chaired the international jury of the prestigious World Press Photo contest. Honorary Fellow of Royal Photographic Society, Alam is visiting professor of Sunderland University in UK and advisory board member of National Geographic Society. John Morris, the former picture editor of Life Magazine describes his book “My journey as a witness”, (listed in “Best Photo Books of 2011” by American Photo), as “The most important book ever written by a photographer.”

Leave a Reply