Tarik Rahman Emon is a documentary photographer, archivist, and researcher based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His practice functions as a rhythmic investigation into the intersections of private memory and the turbulent architecture of social upheavals. Deeply rooted in the South Asian landscape, Tarik’s work moves beyond mere reportage, seeking instead the psychological residues left behind by political shifts. He is currently completing his studies at the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, where he explores the potential of the image to act as both a historical record and a space for poetic reflection.
His foundational project, "Absence In Presence," exemplifies his approach to visual storytelling. By documenting the domestic spaces and emotional landscapes of families affected by the July 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh, Tarik traces the echoes of national trauma within the silence of the home. His work often oscillates between the macro-narrative of the street and the micro-narratives of the bedroom or the family album, asking how collective history is rewritten in the intimacy of the everyday.
As a co-creator of the Chottrish Archive and the Festival Director of the student-led festival "Pathshala Student Festival:Chottrish", Tarik’s practice extends into curation and archival activism. He views the archive not as a static repository of the past, but as a living, interactive site for future inquiry. His interest in interactive media and online platforms further expands his documentary work, challenging the traditional boundaries of the photobook and the gallery wall.
Drawing influence from the minimalist sensibilities and long-form humanism, Tarik’s visual language is characterized by a deliberate pace and a profound sensitivity to light and atmosphere. His work ultimately seeks to preserve the "residue" of existence, ensuring that the fleeting moments of resistance and resilience are anchored in the collective consciousness of South Asia.
EDUCATION
Pathshala South Asian Media Institute |Dhaka, Bangladesh BSS in Photography | 2026-2027
● Concentration: Photography
● Thesis/Current Research: "RESIDUE" – Investigating This is a city where planning ignores the pedestrian, where roads forget the walker. Yet in every photo, every frame, we see the same thing: people adjusting, creating rhythm in disorder, building routine in disruption. This story is not about broken roads but about the unbroken will to keep going..
● Relevant Coursework: Archival Methods, South Asian History, Darkroom Chemistry.
SELECTED PROJECTS & EXHIBITIONS
Women in the July Uprising: Essential Then—Why Erased Now? | Photography group exhibition | 2026
July’s women had not limited themselves to chanting slogans—they built networks, set strategies, and pushed the movement forward. And when the former autocrat belittled students as the “grandchildren of collaborators” (‘rajakars’, a much hated epithet, refer to those who collaborated with the Pakistan army during the 1971 liberation movement), it was women who transformed that insult into a political breaking point. On the night of 14 July, furious students lit the spark of resistance. Defying the deeply entrenched culture of fear, female students broke out of locked dormitories and marched, their courage gathering male students in their wake. Within hours, the sparks leaped across campuses and cities, until the whole nation could feel it. That was the night the authoritarian edifice of fear began to crumble.
Its in our nature | Photography, mix media and ctalogue | 2024
The workshop originated in Bangladesh in 2003 through the partnership between Pathshala and OsloMet, later expanding to various countries including Egypt, Myanmar, Nepal, China, and India, with the involvement of local partners. Many promising young photographers who have participated in the workshop have greatly benefited and have since established successful careers in the photography industry.
Eti Mohanagar | [Photography, Sound, Book installation based group Exhibition| 2022
The exhibition ‘Eti Mohanagar’ featured the works of eight students who are currently studying Bachelor of Photography at Pathshala South Asian Media Institute. The students' works represent the outcome of the workshop 'Visual Politics', a collaboration between Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and RMIT University. Their photographs express different feelings, anxieties, and struggles of Dhaka's people. This exhibition featured ‘Tanaporon’, a performance by Snighdha Sultana and Tarik Rahman Emon. As it relates to people living in Dhaka, it addresses their complex feelings. A special thank you goes out to Taslima Akhter Lima and Saydia Gulrukh who conducted the workshop. The pop-up exhibition traveled to three places which were TSC, Dhaka University, Rayerbazar, and in DrikPath Bhobon. Exhibitors/Bachelor of Photography 1st Batch): Abid Hasan, Arshadul Hoque Rocky, Muntasir Ovi, Paddmini Chakma, Snighdha Sultana, Sabbir Ahmmed, Tamal Saha, and Tarik Rahman Emon.
FIELDWORK & ARCHIVAL RESEARCH
CHOBIMELA XI, Dhaka, Bangladesh — Design & Exhibition Production
December 2025 - January 2026
I have designed the Chobimela catalogue with the editorial support of Sarkar Protick
Pathshala Student Fest, Dhaka, Bangladesh — Festival Director
December 2024
I was the festival director of the fist edition of student festival in Pathshala. We dedicated one prt of our exhibition to thos who died in 2024 uprising.
beetoqs, Dhaka, Bangladesh — Photographer
March 2019 - PRESENT
Beetoqs is the place where I worked with British Council, IPDC, UCB bank, World Bank in different projects as lead photographer
KIA AV Production, Dhaka, Bangladesh — Location Manager
July 2018 - Oct 2018
I worked on searching locations for shooting.
WORKSHOPS & TRAINING
● Story Telling with Photography | Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and Chobimela XI | Mentor: Rena Effendi | 2026
● Reinterpret archives | Pathshala South Asian Media Institute | Mentor: Adam Lewis Jacob | 2025
● International Story Telling Workshop | Pathshala South Asian Media Institute OsloMet - Oslo Metropolitan University, and photo.circle | Mentor: Laura El Tantway| 2024
● Craft Masters | Pathshala South Asian Media Institute | Mentor: Hasib Zakaria| 2024
● Visual Politics | Pathshala South Asian Media Institute and RMIT University | 2022
Photo: Mohammad jubair