“It was social justice I was after,” says Shahidul Alam, who was part of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” portfolio in 2018, “and I realized photography was this powerful tool.” Alam advocates for the “majority world,” a term he coined in the 1990s to reframe the misleading terms “third world” and “global south.” Over the years, traveling far and wide, Alam’s lens has captured the hardships, struggles, and simpler moments of life in his native Bangladesh, shedding light on a culture that is too often misrepresented and misunderstood. —E.C.

Shahidul Alam: Truth to Power
–
Rubin Museum / New York / Art
Rubin Museum / New York / Art
Shahidul Alam, “Sailboat Fishing for Ilish,” Daulatdia, Bangladesh, 2001. Photograph courtesy of Shahidul Alam/ Drik/ Majority World.
Visit
Rubin Museum
150 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011
Get Directions »
Start a New Search
Subscribers Only
Start your free trial to access the full Arts Intel Report
Subscribe to Air Mail to access every article
and search our entire Arts Intel Report.
Already a subscriber? Sign in here.