As Bangladesh enters a new democratic age after what has been widely reported as the first free and fair election held in the country for almost two decades, Meneesha Kellay, Lead Curator of an upcoming exhibition focussed on South Asia looks back at a visit to a region redefining itself.
Over a year after the gen Z uprising toppled the autocratic regime of Sheikh Hasina, remnants of the movement are visible across Dhaka, the country’s capital. There was barely a wall in public spaces across the city that wasn’t covered by murals and graffiti in reference to the revolution. The walls became a canvas for public expression – grief, anger and hope, aspirations and solidarity. It could be read it as a kind of people’s constitution.
Generously supported by the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF), the research trip covered institutions such as the Bengal Foundation, Brihatta Art Foundation, Britto Art Trust, Counter Foto – A Centre for Visual Arts, and Pathshala Institute where I met artists Munem Wasif, Sarker Protick and Ahmed Rasel. Durjoy Rahman, one of South Asia’s most prominent art collectors, took me through the extensive Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation art collection, featuring artists such as Rana Begum and Rasheed Areen to Ai Weiwei, Lucian Freud and Serge Attukwei Clottey.
In what first appeared as an abandoned building, revealed itself as an oasis above the bustling streets of Dhaka below. A former tannery lovingly restored by co-founder and Artistic Director of Brihatta Art Foundation, Bishwajit Goswami offers a new perspective on Hazaribagh. A historic leather manufacturing district, the Foundation offers artist residencies, community-rooted programmes and peer-to-peer exchange. The outcome of many of these collaborations are on display in their onsite gallery space.
Visits to architects included Saif Ul Haque, an Aga Khan Award winning architect and a proponent of adaptive, amphibious architecture; buildings that could sit on the ground or float on the water, depending on the season. Architecture that works harmoniously with the Bengal Delta and flooding, not against it. I also met architect of the Bengal Foundation Jubair Hasan, Kazi Fida Islam, Saiqa Iqbal Meghna and visited Marina Tabassum’s Bait Ur Rouf Jame Mosque. Modest in scale and form, the mosque uses terracotta brick as its principal material, beautifully arranged to allow light to act as ornamentation.
Artists welcomed me into their homes and studios, Dhali Al Mamun and Dilara Begum Jolly took me through their deeply moving archive of painting and fibre artworks, tracing the remnants of colonialism to the horrors of the Liberation War of 1971. Yasmin Jahan Nupur led me through her sanctuary on the outskirts of Dhaka at Vukhanda, as well as an artist space, the garden hosts a ceramic studio and café.
The most memorable meal of the week was a home cooked lunch with Tayeba Begum Lipi and Mahbubur Rahman artists and founders of Britto Arts Trust. Britto’s artist network explores food politics, displacement, and culture through empowering its artists to create highly experimental work.
Former model and fashion designer, Bibi Russell’s office was a treasure trove of memorabilia from her glamourous international career. Filled with news clippings and awards from her pioneering work with UNESCO supporting over 35,000 weavers in rural Bangladesh. Chandra Shekhar, a master craftsman in textile design, took me through the art of Jamdani, Bangladesh’s most celebrated textile tradition. I viewed an exquisite 200-year old jamdani that was as light as a feather. Chandra Shekhar’s love for the craft was clear, he commented, “Jamdani cannot be replicated by machine. Its sheer transparency and delicacy are like weaving magic that floats in the air.”
I had the unique privilege of visiting the National Parliament by Louis Kahn, one of the most extraordinary works of 20th-century architecture. The building was eerily empty as the parliament had been suspended while the interim government was in place following the end of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule. A masterclass in the play of monumental concrete mass, volume, light and the architecture blends modernism with traditional Bengali elements, such as the relationship to water and geometry. It was a surprise to see traces of graffiti from when parliament was stormed by protestors during the uprising. I detected pride in the faces of the officials who showed me around the complex, they were not keen to erase the significance of 7th July 2024. I was then taken to the former Prime Minister’s residence, which was in the process of being converted into a museum. The July Revolution Memorial Museum features a memorial commemorating the 4,200 people killed during the protests and during Hasina’s tenure, designed by Marina Tabassum and sculptures based on iconic photographs from the uprising – including a striking sculpture of a rickshaw driver carrying the body of a slain protester back to his family. The visit was a moving experience; you could feel the weight of history and the profound need for change and hope for a positive future.
Finally, I spoke with Tanzim Wahab curator, academic, and the Director General of Bangladesh National Museum. He was acutely aware of the challenge ahead. I was captivated by his acceptance of the enormity of the task and his confidence in the creative community’s ability to rise to the challenge. He left me with speculations on the future of Bangladesh; can culture heal? Can art be a space for collective reconciliation? The creative scene in Dhaka is thriving, and I have no doubt we will continue to see it bloom.
This research trip was funded by the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF), one of several trips funded for V&A curators and academics to further their understanding of the region. Alongside this, Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation has also established a five-year acquisition fund for modern and contemporary works by artists and makers from Bangladesh and the diaspora for the V&A’s collection, which will coincide with the re-opening of the museum’s South Asia Gallery in 2028 following extensive refurbishment. The programme will also support a commission by an artist from Bangladesh or the diaspora at the soon to open V&A East Museum.
Facts Only
Bangladesh held its first free and fair election in nearly two decades after a Gen Z-led uprising toppled Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime in July 2024.
Dhaka’s public spaces are covered in murals and graffiti referencing the revolution, serving as a form of public expression.
The Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF) funded a research trip to Bangladesh, covering institutions like the Bengal Foundation, Brihatta Art Foundation, Britto Arts Trust, Counter Foto, and Pathshala Institute.
Artists visited include Munem Wasif, Sarker Protick, Ahmed Rasel, Dhali Al Mamun, Dilara Begum Jolly, Yasmin Jahan Nupur, Tayeba Begum Lipi, and Mahbubur Rahman.
The Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation art collection features works by Rana Begum, Rasheed Areen, Ai Weiwei, Lucian Freud, and Serge Attukwei Clottey.
Brihatta Art Foundation, led by Bishwajit Goswami, is housed in a restored former tannery in Hazaribagh, offering artist residencies and community programs.
Architect Saif Ul Haque is known for adaptive, amphibious architecture designed to withstand flooding in the Bengal Delta.
Marina Tabassum’s Bait Ur Rouf Jame Mosque uses terracotta brick and light as ornamental elements.
The National Parliament building, designed by Louis Kahn, was visited during the research trip, with graffiti from the July 2024 protests still visible.
Sheikh Hasina’s former residence is being converted into the July Revolution Memorial Museum, designed by Marina Tabassum, to commemorate the 4,200 people killed during the protests and her tenure.
Tanzim Wahab, Director General of the Bangladesh National Museum, discussed the role of culture and art in healing and reconciliation.
The DBF has established a five-year acquisition fund for modern and contemporary Bangladeshi art at the V&A, coinciding with the reopening of its South Asia Gallery in 2028.
The program will also support a commission by a Bangladeshi artist or diaspora artist at the V&A East Museum.
Executive Summary
Full Take
The narrative presents Bangladesh’s post-revolution cultural renaissance as a testament to the power of collective expression and artistic resilience. The strongest version of this story highlights the organic connection between political upheaval and creative revival, where public art, architecture, and institutional initiatives reflect a society redefining itself. The preservation of protest graffiti in the National Parliament and the conversion of Hasina’s residence into a memorial museum underscore a deliberate effort to confront history rather than erase it. The role of the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF) in funding research and acquisitions for the V&A suggests a strategic investment in Bangladesh’s global cultural visibility, framing art as both a tool for healing and a bridge to international recognition.
However, the narrative leans heavily on emotional and symbolic imagery—murals as a "people’s constitution," architecture as harmony with nature—which, while compelling, risks romanticizing complex socio-political dynamics. The focus on elite institutions (Bengal Foundation, DBF) and internationally recognized artists (Ai Weiwei, Marina Tabassum) may inadvertently sideline grassroots voices or the economic realities facing most Bangladeshi artists. The framing of the July Revolution as a unifying force also glosses over potential fractures within the movement or the challenges of transitional justice.
Rooted in post-colonial and decolonial discourse, the narrative assumes that art and culture can drive reconciliation—a premise that, while hopeful, remains untested. Historically, such cultural revivals often serve as both genuine expressions of change and tools for nation-building, sometimes co-opted by new power structures. The implications for human agency are profound: if culture can heal, who controls its narrative? The DBF’s acquisition fund, while beneficial, raises questions about who curates Bangladesh’s story for global audiences and whether this risks commodifying trauma.
Bridge questions: How might the memorialization of the uprising be contested in the future? What voices are missing from this cultural narrative, particularly those outside Dhaka’s artistic elite? Would the story of Bangladesh’s revolution look different if told through the lens of rural communities or marginalized groups?
Counterstrike scan: A coordinated influence campaign might amplify the "art as healing" narrative to deflect attention from unresolved political or economic grievances, using cultural diplomacy to sanitize the revolution’s complexities. However, the content here does not align with such a pattern; it acknowledges the weight of history and the challenges ahead without overtly manipulating emotions or facts. The focus on institutional partnerships (V&A, DBF) is transparent, and the inclusion of critical voices (Tanzim Wahab’s questions about reconciliation) resists simplistic triumphalism.
Patterns detected: none
Sentinel — Human
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