The way he sees it


Amean J. Mohammad is not an unknown name in the local fashion photography scene. He may not have been around for very long but coupled with a charismatic personality, an extremely professional attitude and a unique eye for photographs he has managed to make a permanent place for himself in the industry. One of the few photographers with a degree in art he has a prominent presence on the internet with ameanj.com; a favourite online haunt for film makers, art directors, advertisers, designers, writers, artistes and who-not. Although not a novel concept abroad, Amean recently held an online exhibition titled +420 Praha.

When asked why he chose to exhibit online and what was the concept behind the photographs, Amean replied, “With the help of electronic technology, the world is getting smaller and smaller which is why I thought that there was no reason why my work should only be restricted to a few who could physically come and see it. Exhibiting online I can reach a much larger and diverse audience.” Talking about the exhibition he said, “This is part of my ‘real world/travelogue’ series. Travelling and documenting places never seen before instigates in me a curiosity to explore and to look at the ordinary in an extraordinary fashion. Travelling through places and photographing strangers that I may never see again not only gives me a high, but also leaves behind memories of ordinary things in life which provides inspiration for the other things that I do.”

What does the +420 in +420 Praha stand for? “+420 is the country code for Czech Republic, like +92 for Pakistan and Praha is the Czech name for Prague, the capital city. I enjoy numbers and decided to categorise and name my travelogues after these country codes.” Talking about the response his e-exhibition has generated, he said, “The cyber space and the upcoming cyber culture fascinate me. The identities of people are neutral and the space is flooded with diverse people. It is a fantastic way to reach the unreachable. The exhibition has only been up for a few hours and already there have been hits from across the globe.”

Symbolised by the photograph taken in the Chodov Station, +420 Praha takes the viewer on a ride through Prague the way Amean sees it.

First Published:
Gallery
January 27, 2007