IUB Hosts ‘Fragments of the Real’ Digital Photojournalism Exhibition

The Department of Media and Communication at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) has launched “Fragments of the Real,” a digital photojournalism exhibition featuring the final projects of graduate students from the Master of Social Science (MSS) programme.

The exhibition opened on Sunday (March 8) and will continue until March 12 at the BC Level 6 Foyer of the university’s main campus building in Bashundhara, Dhaka. It showcases work produced in the course Digital Photojournalism (CMN 654), highlighting how emerging visual storytellers document contemporary realities through photography.

Curated by media scholar Imran Firdaus, the display presents a series of photo essays that capture everyday life, social struggles, and fleeting human moments. The images, when viewed together, aim to reveal deeper truths about society and the human experience.

Dr. Firdaus reflected on the significance of the medium: “Photography has always been an act of insistence. The frame says: look here. The shutter says: this existed. What it cannot say—what only the most deliberate practitioners learn to communicate—is why it matters.”

The exhibition features photo series by the following students: Abu Sajjad, Bayan Shafique, Iftekhar Ahmed, Motiur Rahman, Reazul Qader Shobuj, Saif Radoun All Nahayan, Sayema Naoshin Aroni Rahman, and Sufia Noor. Their works explore themes ranging from urban life and labour to personal narratives and everyday resilience.

The opening reception on Sunday afternoon drew faculty, students, and photography enthusiasts, who engaged with the works and discussed the role of visual storytelling in contemporary media. Visitors moved through the space, examining photo essays that capture often-overlooked scenes reflecting broader social realities.

The exhibition serves as a platform to highlight the documentary vision of young photographers documenting Bangladesh’s contemporary landscape.