Tannery
Photo exhibition by Akihito Yoshida
Main Bar (Dec. 3, 2016 - Jan. 6, 2017)
There is a district called Hazaribagh in Dacca, the capital city of Bangladesh which is known for its densely concentrated oxhide processing factories. 90% of domestic oxhide production comes from this district and is exported to Europe, North American and Asian nations. Japan is the biggest importer of oxhide from Bangladesh, mainly in the form of about 4 million pairs of leather shoes per year. According to the Blacksmith Institute reports, an international environmental watch dog, Hazaribagh is listed as one of the 10 most toxically polluted areas in the world. There are 150 to 200 oxhide factories that have roughly 20,000 workers handling toxic chemicals with barehands and barefeet. There are no safety compliances and regulations. Dumping of unprocessed chemical materials into rivers, disposed hazardous waste and unfiltered incinerators are common sightings. Workers who spend substantial amount of time there have all sorts of physical problems along with a short life expectancy. I headed to Hazaribagh to bare witness the conditions of the workers in oxhide industry.
Profile
Akihito Yoshida is a Japanese photographer Born in 1980. He having taught Japanese for a year university in Thailand, continued to work at an elementary school for 6 years Kyoto Japan. Started a career in photography in 2010. Photobook ”Brick Yard”(2014) and “Tannery”(2016) was Published. Current work: Received Konica Minolta Photo Premio Grand Prize 2014. Paris Photo-Aperture Foundation Photobook Award 2015 Shortlist, National Geographic Photo Prize - first Prize and more.
http://www.akihito-yoshida.com
The Exhibitions Committee