Ismail
Ferdous

Ismail Ferdous

biography

Bangladeshi photographer and videomaker born in 1989, member of the Agence VU’ since 2021, based in New York (USA).

Ismail Ferdous began to consider photography as a profession while studying business at East West University in Dhaka.

He visually documents social and humanitarian issues of the contemporary world. After the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Dhaka, one of the worst industrial disasters in Bangladesh that resulted in the death of more than 1100 workers in 2013, Ferdous initiated a plea against the devastating effects of the “fast fashion” industry on the Bangladeshi population with his projects The Cost of Fashion and After Rana Plaza.

In parallel to his personal documentary works, Ferdous has collaborated with numerous NGOs, media, or press organizations to develop projects that delve into topics that surround the subjects of climate change, natural disasters, access to health care, and refugee crises in countries within the Middle East, Europe, and South Asia. In 2016, he left Dhaka and moved to New York from where he continues his work and notably reports on the end of Trump’s presidency, among other subjects.

Ferdous is the recipient of numerous awards, including a Word Press Photo, two US National Photo Press Awards, the Manuel Ortiz Award for Documentary Photography and a National Geographic Explorer Grant. His work is regularly published in the international press and has been exhibited around the world, notably at Photoville (NYC USA), the United Nations Headquarters (Geneva), the Photolux Festival (Lucca, Italy), the Tokyo Photograph Art Museum (Japan) and at the Rencontres d’Arles (France).

Series

New York City Waters, 2022

Série | Decades of industrialization and pollution had driven people, animals and birds away from the coasts of New York. Today, the city's inhabitants are returning to the sea.

Sea Beach, 2020-2022

Series | Beaches around the world have their own self-contained cultures, a natural mix of the local traditions with what tourists bring to offer. It is how beaches develop their distinct personality and Cox’s Bazar - the world’s longest natural sea beach located in Bangladesh - has one to call its own.

The people who feed US, 2020-2022

Série | Meatpacking plant workers have been deemed essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of employees at meatpacking plants in the United States are either immigrants or refugees. This is a selection of portraits of immigrants who work in the meatpacking industry.

Migrants Stories, 2021

Series| Syria, Bangladesh, France, Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, migrants' stories around the world.

Transition of Power, 2021

Série | These photos are a result of stepping back to analyze the entire scene from this historical and unique 2021 U.S. Presidential inauguration.

Building a New American Dream, 2018

Series | Ismail Ferdous spent over 6 months traveling all around the United States to explore the nuances, complexities, breath, and everything in between of South Asians in this American land.

After Rana Plaza, 2015

Series| In order to hold these companies accountable and avoid further disasters, Ismail Ferdous advocates for international visibility and awareness of the stories of the Rana Plaza victims.

Rana Plaza Collapse : The Cost of Fashion, 2013

Series| On April 24, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, an 8-story building collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring 2,500 others.

New York City Waters, 2022

Série | Decades of industrialization and pollution had driven people, animals and birds away from the coasts of New York. Today, the city's inhabitants are returning to the sea.

Sea Beach, 2020-2022

Series | Beaches around the world have their own self-contained cultures, a natural mix of the local traditions with what tourists bring to offer. It is how beaches develop their distinct personality and Cox’s Bazar - the world’s longest natural sea beach located in Bangladesh - has one to call its own.

The people who feed US, 2020-2022

Série | Meatpacking plant workers have been deemed essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of employees at meatpacking plants in the United States are either immigrants or refugees. This is a selection of portraits of immigrants who work in the meatpacking industry.

Migrants Stories, 2021

Series| Syria, Bangladesh, France, Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, migrants' stories around the world.

Transition of Power, 2021

Série | These photos are a result of stepping back to analyze the entire scene from this historical and unique 2021 U.S. Presidential inauguration.

Building a New American Dream, 2018

Series | Ismail Ferdous spent over 6 months traveling all around the United States to explore the nuances, complexities, breath, and everything in between of South Asians in this American land.

After Rana Plaza, 2015

Series| In order to hold these companies accountable and avoid further disasters, Ismail Ferdous advocates for international visibility and awareness of the stories of the Rana Plaza victims.

Rana Plaza Collapse : The Cost of Fashion, 2013

Series| On April 24, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, an 8-story building collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring 2,500 others.

New York City Waters, 2022

Série | Decades of industrialization and pollution had driven people, animals and birds away from the coasts of New York. Today, the city's inhabitants are returning to the sea.

Sea Beach, 2020-2022

Series | Beaches around the world have their own self-contained cultures, a natural mix of the local traditions with what tourists bring to offer. It is how beaches develop their distinct personality and Cox’s Bazar - the world’s longest natural sea beach located in Bangladesh - has one to call its own.

The people who feed US, 2020-2022

Série | Meatpacking plant workers have been deemed essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of employees at meatpacking plants in the United States are either immigrants or refugees. This is a selection of portraits of immigrants who work in the meatpacking industry.

Migrants Stories, 2021

Series| Syria, Bangladesh, France, Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, migrants' stories around the world.

Transition of Power, 2021

Série | These photos are a result of stepping back to analyze the entire scene from this historical and unique 2021 U.S. Presidential inauguration.

Building a New American Dream, 2018

Series | Ismail Ferdous spent over 6 months traveling all around the United States to explore the nuances, complexities, breath, and everything in between of South Asians in this American land.

After Rana Plaza, 2015

Series| In order to hold these companies accountable and avoid further disasters, Ismail Ferdous advocates for international visibility and awareness of the stories of the Rana Plaza victims.

Rana Plaza Collapse : The Cost of Fashion, 2013

Series| On April 24, 2013, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, an 8-story building collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people and injuring 2,500 others.

Multimedia

The Deadly Cost of Fashion, 2015

Multimedia Products | Ismail Ferdous covered last year’s deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh.

The Deadly Cost of Fashion, 2015

Multimedia Products | Ismail Ferdous covered last year’s deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh.

The Deadly Cost of Fashion, 2015

Multimedia Products | Ismail Ferdous covered last year’s deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh.

Interviews

Ismail Ferdous talks about his exhibition “So we Exist”
—
Interview made by International Labour Organization
—
2015

The ILO hosted an exhibition by Bangladeshi photojournalist Ismail Ferdous to highlight the issues raised during the conference Regulating for Decent Work from 8-10 July 2015. In this interview, the artist talks about his exhibition “So we Exist”, his covering of the Rana Plaza factory collapse and the role of the arts in raising the voice and visibility of workers in the shadows.

Exhibitions

Sea Beach
—
3rd Cargo Festival: Les Photographiques de Saint Nazaire
—
From June 29 to October 1, 2023

More information

awards

World Press Photo 2022, “Stories” – North and Central America

For his series “The People Who Feed US”

2022

National Geographic Explorer Grant

2020

The Manuel Rivera-Ortiz Foundation For Documentary Photography & Film – 2016 Photography Grant

For After Rana Plaza

2016

32nd American Photography Book

Selected

2016

The Getty Images Instagram grant & Film

For After Rana Plaza

2015

Days Japan International Photojournalism Award

3rd Prize For Stateless Beings

2015

National Press Photographers Association- Best of Photojournalism Award

3rd Prize

2014

Alexia Foundation Student Grant

Award of Excellence

2012

Winner Artist of World Bank Imagining Our Future Together

2012