WdKA is delighted to welcome Shadman Shahid, who joins our team of tutors in the academic year 2020-2021.
Shadman Shahid is a photographer, filmmaker and educator born and raised in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. His work is about the precarity of the corporeal and the spiritual human conditions in contemporary society. His artistic methodology walks the line between documentary and fiction and usually, in his work, the content drives the aesthetics. He relies heavily on magic-realism as a storytelling method. Shadman’s photographic works have brought him a few accolades including World Press Photo’s Joop Swart Masterclass, BJP Ones to Watch in 2016, Burn Emerging Photographer of the Year in 2018 and Winner of Bird in Flight prize 2019.
He is currently based in the Netherlands, working on his personal projects while teaching at the Royal Academy of Art in Hague and Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Shadman obtained a Master in photography and society from KABK. Prior to moving to the Netherlands, Shadman was a lecturer at the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute for three years, from where he also obtained his Professional Photography degree in 2015. He is currently being represented by East Wing Gallery.
What is your branch of knowledge and subject?
Photography, lifestyle Transformation Design.
What is your source of inspiration?
I am lucky that it does not take a lot to inspire me. I can get inspired by minute human moments, a memory, a well-made frying pan, the shine of a curtain, a pigeon crossing the road or my wife’s fingernails. I am surrounded by things that inspire, existence is an inspiration.
What defines you as a tutor? Your strongest points?
My teaching method is a blend of planning and improvisation. I believe in fluidity but within a strong structure. I try not to standardise or generalise, instead, I look to see how I can nurture each student’s individual needs. However, I do believe in individuals coming together to form a group, aiming towards a common goal.
I believe in fluidity but within a strong structure
What is your dream/goal as a tutor?
To create an environment where students are willing to experiment, fail or succeed and then grow from the experience. I wish for my students to be conscious makers and human beings, creating freely, devoid of any fear of being judged or scrutinised.
Name one item from your bucket list?
I don’t have a list, I am not sure I agree with the idea of it.
Whom would you call true innovator?
A true innovator for me is someone who not only redefines what a particular medium can do but also creates a reality that enables future generations of makers to succeed. For me, that person is Dr.Shahidul Alam who is a photographer, activist, educator and founder of Pathshala, the school of photography in Bangladesh.
