Munem Wasif ( bn, মুনেম ওয়াসিফ) (born 11 April 1983) is a photographer from Bangladesh.

Biography

Munem Wasif is a documentary

photographer A photographer (the Greek φῶς (''phos''), meaning "light", and γραφή (''graphê''), meaning "drawing, writing", together meaning "drawing with light") is a person who makes photographs. Duties and types of photographers As in oth ...

in Bangladesh. He has been represented by

Agence Vu Agence Vu, (stylised as Agence VU and Agence VU') is a photography agency established in 1986 that has headquarters on Rue Saint-Lazare in Paris. It works with both photojournalists and art photographers, not specialising in one field of photograp ...

since 2008, and is now teaching documentary photography at

Pathshala Drik Picture Library is a photography agency and picture library based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Background Drik Picture Library was established in 1989 by Bangladeshi writer and photographer Shahidul Alam and Bangladeshi writer and anthropolo ...

South Asian Media Academy. He was selected for the

World Press Photo World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Founded in 1955, the organization is known for holding an annual press photography contest. Since 2011, World Press Photo has organized a ...

Joop Swart Masterclass in 2007. In 2008, he won the City of Perpignan Young Reporter's Award at Visa pour l'image. That year, he also won the International Award for concerned photography, the F25 for under-25's in the Fabrica awards. The following year, he was awarded the Prix Pictet commission for his work on the water crisis of the north-west region of

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...

. His work has been exhibited worldwide, including at the

Musée de l'Élysée Musée de l'Élysée is a museum in Lausanne, Switzerland, entirely devoted to photography. It is a government-supported institution founded in 1985 by Charles-Henri Favrod. It was housed in an 18th-century mansion until October 2020.

, and the

Fotomuseum Winterthur Fotomuseum Winterthur is a museum of photography in Winterthur, Switzerland. History The museum was founded in 1993 and is dedicated to photography as art form and document, and as a representation of reality. Fotomuseum Winterthur is an art g ...

in Switzerland, the International Photography Biennial of the Islamic World in Iran,

Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography The is an art museum concentrating on photography. As the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, it was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo. The museum al ...

in Japan, the Kunsthal Museum and the Noorderlicht festival in the Netherlands, Angkor photo festival in Cambodia, London's Whitechapel Gallery, Palais de Tokyo, Visa pour l'image in France, and at Chobi Mela, Bangladesh. Wasif's photographs have been published in ''Le Monde 2'', the ''Sunday Times Magazine'', ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'', Politiken, Io Donna, Mare, Du, Days Japan, L'espresso, ''

Libération ''Libération'' (), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Initially positioned on the far-left of France' ...

,'' Courier International, Photo, ''

British Journal of Photography The ''British Journal of Photography'' (BJP) is a magazine about photography, published by 1854 Media. It includes in-depth articles, profiles of photographers, analyses, and technological reviews. History The magazine was established in Liver ...

,''

LensCulture ''LensCulture'' is a photography network and online magazine about contemporary photography in art, media, politics, commerce and popular cultures worldwide. It is based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. ''LensCulture'' sponsors international photograph ...

Photo District News ''Photo District News'' (or ''PDN'') was an American monthly trade publication for professional photographers. ''PDN'' was first published in 1980. The publication took its name from New York City's photo district, an area of photo businesses th ...

and Zonezero. Wasif began his career as a feature photographer for '' The Daily Star'' newspaper, Bangladesh, after graduating from Pathshala. During his residency he told the Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore about his film "Goom" which literary translates in English to "Forced Disappearance" It says "Prompted by recent shifts in the political climate of his own country, Munem Wasif is currently working on a film project titled Goom (forced disappearance, kidnapping in Bangla.)". The work revolves around the increasing phenomenon of people gone missing, disappearances that often remain unexplained and unaccounted for.

Family

Munem Wasif is the son of Bangladeshi politician Abdul Matin Khasru.

Publications

Books by Wasif

* ''Bangladesh Standing on the Edge.'' Paris: CDP, 2008. . With texts by Agnès de Gouvion Saint-Cyr and Christian Caujolle in French and English. * ''Salt Water Tears: Lives Left behind in Satkhira, Bangladesh.'' London: Prix Pictet, 2009. . * ''Larmes salées = Salty Tears.'' Marseille: Images Plurielles, 2011. . With texts by Pavel Partha and Francis Hodgson in French and English. * ''Belonging.'' Paris: Clémentine de la Féronnière, 2013. . With text by Christian Caujolle in French and English.

Books with contributions by Wasif

* ''Under the Banyan Tree.'' Dhaka: Pathshala, 2010. . * ''Street Photography Now.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. .

Grants and awards

* Sagamihara photo Asian Prize by Sagamihara photo festival, Japan. 2010 * Prix Pictet commission on water, France, 2009 * City of Perpignan Young Reporter's Award, Visa pour l'Image, France, 2008 * F25, International Award for concerned photography, Italy, 2008 * 30 emerging photographers by Photo District News, USA, 2008 * Young reporter award by Festival du Scoop of Angers, France, 2008 * Joop Swart Masterclass by World Press Photo, Netherland, 2007