The 66th solo exhibition of renowned photographer Nasir Ali Mamun, titled Photoseum: Life of Poetree, featuring photographs of two legendary Bangladeshi poets, Shamsur Rahman and Al Mahmud, inaugurated on Friday at Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi.

The exhibition is dedicated to the bicentenary of photography.

The two-week exhibition depicts the two poets’ daily lives, interviews, and their relationship with archival documents, including diaries, poems, and clothing.

The exhibition displays more than 50 photographs, mostly black-and-white portraits, along with visual documentation of a historic meeting between the two poets, who had long remained estranged due to ideological differences.

The inauguration ceremony also featured a discussion attended by the Ambassador of France to Bangladesh, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet; the editor and publisher of Prothom Alo, Matiur Rahman; and artist Monirul Islam. Alliance Française de Dhaka director François Chambraud delivered a welcome speech at the event.

Nasir Ali Mamun said that these two poets were different in their lifestyles, understandings, and ideologies, but both were pioneers of Bengali poetry before and after the War of Independence.

‘I captured photos and interviewed both of them separately and also organised a meeting between them, even though they held different ideologies and beliefs,’ Nasir Ali Mamun said.

He also urged for patronage to establish a museum titled Photoseum to preserve his collection and historic photographs and evidence.

Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet said that in the hands of a photographer such as Nasir Ali Mamun, photography becomes not only an artistic expression but also an act of cultural preservation.

‘Through his lens, they appear not only as major literary figures, but as deeply human—thoughtful, sensitive, and introspective. This exhibition creates a dialogue between literature and visual art, between word and image, allowing us to experience poetry in a new and intimate manner,’ he said, adding that the exhibition brings together photography, poetry, memory, and history in a deeply compelling and meaningful way.

Monirul Islam said that Nasir Ali Mamun is a devotee of portrait photography who has taken photos of his contemporary artists, poets, and political personalities as a cultural historian of his time.

Matiur Rahman said that Shamsur Rahman was born in Dhaka City, while Al Mahmud grew up in a rural environment. Although both of their works were influential in Bengali literature, the political ideologies of their readers and cultural activists created a division.

‘Political bias has damaged the diversity of Bangladesh’s art and literature, but Mamun’s role is immense in archiving them,’ he said, adding that artists and cultural activists must work without political bias for the development of culture.

The exhibition will end on April 16.