Munem Wasif's 'Kromosho' explores Old Dhaka through collaborative storytelling

Munem Wasif's publication 'Kromosho' presents a multi-faceted exploration of Old Dhaka, Bangladesh, through two decades of photographic and filmic documentation. The book features collaborative texts from cultural historian Samia Khatun, artists Rupali Gupte and Prasad Shetty, art historian Tanzim Wahab, and curator Natasha Ginwala. Khatun's diaristic reflections accompany stills from Wasif's film 'Kheyal' (2015–18), blending mythical, historical, and personal timelines while referencing figures from Hindu and Islamic traditions. Gupte and Shetty contribute 'The Dermosonic Machine,' a fictional story about Mumbai electronics repairman Pradeep that examines urban energy flows and intellectual property anxieties. Wasif's 'Stereo' series (2001–22), created with paper-negatives from a box camera, captures paradoxical moments of movement and stasis in urban life. Published by Nokta for Rs. 1,557.00, the work situates Old Dhaka within Bangladesh's colonial history and recent political uprisings against Sheikh Hasina's regime. The publication animates Wasif's documentary practice beyond traditional exhibition formats, emphasizing psychological dimensions of urban experience. 'Kromosho' (meaning 'step-by-step' in Bangla) examines how colonial partitions and contemporary citizen movements shape South Asian urban environments.