Artist Post - Helen Westergren

Sarker Protick

Sarker Protick is a photographer native to Bangeldesh, a place he derives much of his inspiration from. He did not begin taking photographs until he was 24, after years of pursuing a career in music. Protick shoots digitally, often taking beautiful photos that exhibit light and color in more subtle and unconventional ways. His work is a pretty varied mix of still life and portraiture, but he includes the occasional landscape, especially in his series "Of Rivers and Lost Land". Protick often edits his photos in a way that gives them an overexposed, very lucid quality so that even different subjects have a consistent feeling.
While Protick does not speak in detail about the work he creates, there is a clear preference for sentimentality and heritage. His series "What Remains" follows an elderly couple (presumably his parents) through the later stages of their life. The last photo I have show is from this series. Protick also follows river-workers in Bangeldesh for "Of Rivers and Lost Land". Protick shows their hard labor in a way that still honors their action but also creates wonderful imagery. The use of color is especially intriguing in this series because it is so scant.
While I love the underexposed, pastel beauty of many of Protick's images, I also love the honor found in his work. There is an intentional care and love that one feels with each image that I find particularly compelling. Each person (or animal) he depicts is given a level of intimacy that draws me to continue looking.