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What Dreams?

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Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh is the current exhibition at the Whitechapel Art Gallery . It claims to depict 150 years of photography from the subcontinent, of its people by its people. The exhibition is in most parts is not trying to show great photography but how photography has developed in the three countries. Walking through the gallery it made uncomfortable viewing. It felt like yet another exhibition displaying of the other . In this case, watching how the other uses the camera. Although, this show was curated by Asian artists it did not feel as though their talents shone. Most of the photographs looked like home albums that many of us Asians possess. There was nothing spectacular about them; what’s so fascinating about family albums of Southasian origin? So there were portraits of some political leaders like Jinnah, Nehru, Gandhi etc. There were also, some bollywood and lollywood posters and photograph