21 Feb Recollected -Digital Catalogue

“Recollected” is a distinctive exhibition to showcase a range of multidisciplinary artworks inspired from the history, culture and the local contemporary narratives from two architectural heritages in Sunamganj district in Bangladesh, known as the Gourarang Jaminder palace and the Shukhair Jaminder palace. All these creative works are outcome of an art intervention organized by Uronto in Sunamganj in January 2024 where a group of artists from various practices visited the sites, explored the current narratives and previous histories, got involved with the community in the surrounding of those little-known heritage buildings.
This exhibition will serve as a vibrant showcase of contemporary artistry, focusing on the lesser-known heritage sites in Sunamganj, Sylhet. Through various artistic mediums like illustration, storytelling, photography, ceramic work, printmaking, installation, theater performance, musicals and many more, viewers can revisit the stories and memories within the heritage sites. Each artwork offers a unique glimpse into the lives and legacies of generations gone by, inviting viewers to rediscover and re-engage with the hidden gems of Bangladesh.

Al Araf

– Freelance Documentary Photographer

Araf is a freelance documentary photographer based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is currently perusing a diploma in documentary photography at Counter Foto – A Center for Visual Arts.  Araf refers photography as a way of living life. The process of taking photos helps him to escape from the harsh realities. Being busy in the process of image making through photography, Araf finds an immense pleasure of creating something which eventually helps him to calm down in any situation.

Ashes Of time

The decaying landlord’s houses like Shukhair Palace and Gourarang Palace is now just a proof of lost time. The leftover things of the palace show us that once there were the aristocracy of the landlord and now only the silence remains. The era has gone, the people are gone but the palaces are still there and suffering to tell us that how time can change everything.

Prema Nath

– Freelance Photographer

Nath is a passionate freelance photographer driven by the rich tapestry of human life, I find inspiration in the diverse landscapes of culture and lifestyle. My lens is drawn to the intricate narratives of social development, shedding light on issues of discrimination, gender-based violence, and the empowerment of women. Thriving in the midst of competition, I eagerly pursue stories that capture the essence of positive movements and societal change. With a solid academic foundation in social research, I bring depth and insight to my artistic endeavours, seeking to amplify voices and spark meaningful conversations through the power of imagery.

Echoes of Time: A Visual Journey Through Memories

The architectural marvels stand tall, bearing witness to the passage of time. Their intricate designs and weather-worn facades tell the tales of grandeur and decay, of triumphs and tribulations. With each click of the shutter, I seek to encapsulate the spirit of these structures, to breathe life into their silent narratives. But it is not just the grandeur that captures my attention. It is the subtle details—the cracks in the walls, the peeling paint, the rusted hinges—that speak volumes about the lives that once inhabited these spaces. They are the footprints of history, the imprints of human existence, waiting to be discovered and cherished.

Fouzia Mahin Choudhury

Multidisciplinary Artist

Fouzia is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and writer based in Dhaka. Her creativity goes beyond the boundary of any single practice and explores visual art, bilingual poetry, lyrics, and other forms of creative writing. Fouzia’s works have mostly focused on themes such as oral history, archaeology, and anthropology, which she expresses through different storytelling methods. Recently, Fouzia has also curated two of her own projects. Besides, she facilitates the creation of artists and curators’ productions, both nationally and internationally. 

Gouraranga: Story of an occupied territory (Dhamail Musical)

Gauraranga, once the elegant Jaminder palace of the wealthy and powerful Jaminder family, is now on the verge of extinction. Its original owners have lost possession, and the current owners do not want it to remain, waiting for its natural demolition to avoid public notice, hence any possibility of restoration is unwelcoming to them so that they can expand their settlements or use it as farming land.

However, amidst all their wicked plans, Mother Nature seemed to be holding on and doing her best to keep the palace standing, with splashes of its little-known history all over it. Especially one cannot unsee the magnificence of its ‘once dazzling’ theatrical auditorium, which continues to astound.

As per history, this Jaminder family had two different theater groups owned simultaneously by Girindrabala Chowdhury and Dharandra Chowdhury, who were the elder sister-in-law and younger brother-in-law, respectively. As per the culture of South Asia, we know this relationship to be a very witty, sweet, and sour kind of chemistry in which the rivalry added a bit of tastier spice nonetheless.

While the musical captures their tangy-tasty chemistry in the form of an imaginary Dhamail fight between the two theater groups, it also manifests a glimpse of its dreadful present at the end.

Dhamail is a folk music and dance form of northern Bangladesh, such as Sylhet, Shunamgonj, and Mymensing.

This work is a multilayered collaboration between

Fouzia Mahin Choudhury, Tanha Sheikh and Raian Kays (Fresco), Dancers from Kolpotoru dance school, Theater performers from Prachyanat and Mahbub Ratan (scroll painting).

Chanchal Shah panwalar pachali (Flatterby’s Folklores)

While the Jamindari era is long gone, the Shukhair Jaminders’ descendants continue to hold the position of local landlords. I guess the money and power have brought them both flatterers and adversaries.

During our tour to Shukhair, by coincidence, we happened to come across a man selling betel leaves in a tiny shop. He appeared to be a huge admirer of the Sukhair Jaminder dynasty because he emerged out of the blue and began telling wildly exaggerated tales about them. 

This was a truly remarkable occasion since, throughout our time in Uronto, we never saw commoners acting with such love and reverence for the Jaminders and their palaces—instead, they were almost always indifferent, if not hateful. Still, we found it rather enjoyable and were astounded by his captivating narration. This “puthi” is a modest attempt to portray those stories he recounted through my unique artistic manner. The Puthi has been written in a mixed dialect (Sylheti and local Bengali) and presented with supportive drawings on bhojpatra (birchbarck) bases. 

The Puthi consists of 4 episodes: 1. Architectural structure, 2. Early History, 3. Bravery, and 4. Excellence.

Afsana Sharmin Zhumpa

Visual Artist

Afsana Sharmin is an emerging contemporary artist who’s practice based on sculpture and drawing with various kinds of new art form like installation, performance Art, Land Art and video. Her work advanced with her self-examined nature and femininity. She showed a marked tendency for overlapping her performance based videos with installations that were often cloaked in an affective sensibility. Her land art and sight specific project titled ‘Blue’ and another project titled ‘To the Feminine’ she started from 2009, are very much influencing works of her time and she intends to do those lifetime. Basically she works from the experience of her own life and surrounding. Meanwhile her works are poetic by her nature. Natural dry elements and wastage found objects are the main ingredients of her works.

Fabricated

The historical places we visited have had its golden time of its own. Now we are watching the ancient architectures with its broken beauty which is overtaken by the Mother Nature and the society itself. Hearing the tales from the people, we can only grasp the ideas of the particular perspectives of the storyteller, but the real truth is always lost behind the past like nothing. Rather than searching for the real truth of the historical places, it is more connecting for me, to search for the motifs and textures those can take us one step closer to the truth. Alternately, those places are no more the houses of people, instead thousands of tiny lives are living and building their own stories, those are the evidences of its long old time. Since the history is always assembled by the story teller and story believer is always in the process of adding his own perspective, I liked to title my work ‘Fabricated’ where I tried to depict the old architectural textures, motifs and the mysterious tales floating in the air….

Kazi Toufikul Islam Emon, (Prachyanat)

Kazi Toufikul Islam has the commitment to achieve the highest standard of performance and is always willing to listen and learn from others. He has been involved in theater works from the late 90’s and worked in Aranyak Natyadal for a while before joining Prachyanat as a founder member. He has directed a number of plays and improvisation performances in and out of Prachyanat. As well as his enthusiastic involvement in various media works like films, telefilms, OVCs etc, Toufikul Emon has been working as the faculty of Drama in Scholastica School since 2002.

Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat, (Prachyanat)

Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat has been a member of Prachyanat since 2009. As a theater practitioner, her core concentration is in backstage communication, design and direction. She has been training herself to work as per her passion by being the director’s assistant in various productions of Prachyanat. She has also made an expertise in costume design by doing so in several productions and corporate events of Prachyanat. She has completed her graduation in Psychology from University of Dhaka and has been working as school teacher ever since. She also works as a freelance translator for multiple non-government organizations and TV Channels. 

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AB Siddiki Xem, (Prachyanat)

Abu Bakar Siddiki, popularly known as AB Siddiki Xem in his professional field is a Fine Arts graduate from the Department of Crafts in the University of Dhaka. He has also been an active member of Prachyanat since 2006. For years, he has been blending his decade-long experience in theatre with various mediums of artistic representations like performance art, performing art and visual art. AB Siddiki’s artistic practice also includes music allowing him to work with prominent musicians and musical bands of the country and also design music for both theatre and visual media.

Moldering Existence

An old relic, representing the heritage of an area in the country, does not disintegrate only due to weathering and passage of time, but sometimes lack of attention, necessary restoration and people’s overwhelming greed quickens the process of its going to rack and ruin. The negligence towards preservation of the heritage, as if, are like bugs that eat up the walls of the building until only the slightest trace of dust remains.

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury

Visual Artist

Shamim Ahmed Chowdhury, a Bangladeshi artist living with a passion to create relatable stories for children. He studied in Architecture but went to explore tradition, culture in the remote island in Sri lanka. His travels inspire him to learn new culture, heritage, folk art to bring this into his writings and artwork. The topics of our everyday life which is somehow gets lost in the pace grasps him a lot. He has worked with Think Equal Org based in Uk and Room to Read Asia and has titles under his name. He loves to work with the areas yet unexplored in his culture and history.

He always feels inspired when thinking of how storytelling and ideas can build a better and equal future. A good story can open doors towards harmony and happiness, and it is acknowledged that everyone can make a difference in the world. This ideology gets him working no matter what limitations may appear. He believes someday his dream will be true and that be magical, a better inclusive story to share. He hopes that we can have space for others with honesty and love.

A Blanket of Dreams

The Blanket of Dreams narrates the story of a distant time. The decaying truth of a place with the passage of existence and us. The story connects the age-old question of cycle of life and death. Every memory has a time frame and the dreams of one generation pass downs to another. The co-existence of these elements drives the notion of human heritage with the wilderness, the untouched beauty of our imagination. All this can give birth to a new living memory of our time.

Lost In Transitions:

Ranu and her little brother Sanu lives with their mother near Goura Rang Palace for quite a while now. Ranu loves to hear the village folk songs whenever possible. This usually goes on all night and she waits eagerly for this moment.

One fine wintry morning after coming from such a musical night, Ranu and Sanu were not ready for this surprise of their lifetime. Their usual route to home is beside the abandoned palace. But today the entire palace has disappeared out of thin air. After the mist passes, there remains a garden and a jackfruit tree. Then from the shadows of the huge tree, a white horse appears in front of them. He was freely roaming in this beautiful scene.

Slowly Ranu & Sanu greet the horse and he narrates to them the past life, colors and human presence of this palace. There was laughter, day to day life stories. Now all is gone with the cruel passage of time. Ranu realizes her life’s inner calling with this story. Her favorite songs are like this. Passed down from generation to generation, yet their spirit remains. That is what is important in life. Our memories and celebration of little moments, the transition of life.

The Lost Forest, Andhaeer:

Shukhee, the girl who is loved by some commoners in her village is missing today. Maybe the girl wants to remain missing forever as she lost her foster mother last night. At this very moment, Shukhee is tired, she is eager, she is lost. She wanted to go with her mother too from this world. For five hundred years, she has only been giving goodbyes. Yes! Our Shukhee is five hundred years old…

Suddenly, a mysterious voice calls her from the other side of the riverbank. She suddenly feels disturbed in her peaceful solace beside the river. The whole world suddenly turns black and there are only shadows. Shukhee closes her eyes in fear. After some quick moments, she feels someone or something is breathing in front of her. She gains courage and slowly opens her eyes only to realize a dark forest creature is standing in front of her on the flowing river.

How on earth this is even possible!

With time some rays of light pears the darkness and the creature asks Shukhee about her distress and anxiety. She is reluctant at first, then eventually shares her loneliness of this miserable hundred years. The creature reveals the secret that Shukhee is the lost daughter of the infamous robber, Shukhair from ancient stories.

The creature also shares the intention to embrace her again. Shukhee realizes her time is up in this world and decides to leave this world to discover her father. The missing piece of her lost time.     

Bishwajit Roy

Visual Artist

His artistic endeavors, he dedicated himself to portray the experiences of the decentralized and marginalized members of society. As an active participant in the contemporary art world, his creative expressions draw significant inspiration from his immediate surroundings, societal dynamics, cultural intricacies, political landscapes, and economic structures. Through his diverse range of mediums, he confronts the society of the uncomfortable truths embedded within the fabric of our existence.

Remembrance

Sukhair Zamindar Bari and Gourarang Zamindar Bari stand as guardians of cultural memories, underscoring the importance of conserving architectural heritage for posterity. Each corner whispers tales of craftsmanship and beauty, reflecting the reverence for artistry in the past. The motifs adorning these structures, from floral patterns to geometric shapes, weave narratives of skill and tradition. However, negligence and time threaten their existence. Through art and archival preservation, efforts are underway to safeguard these architectural gems. As an artist, my aim is not only to hounor their legacy but also to elevate their inheritance through the presentation of their artistic endeavours.

Fahim Chowdhury

Visual Artist

Fahim Chowdhury is visual artist based in Bangladesh. An introvert young boy with innocent smile who wants to spend the rest of his life as an artist only. He completed his bachelors in print making and developed and skillset on illustrative drawing with storytelling. He connects nature and narrations in his drawings. In spite of his strong skill to make realistic drawing Fahim had deep desire to explore other format of expressing his thoughts. After a period of confusion and blackness Fahim came to find a new direction of his work through community inclusive narratives which will lead his work in future with multiple layers of storytelling.

The 18 hand-long Tiger and Rai Shahib:

The journey of “Team Uronto” started from Dhaka. Their destination was to the palace of the landlord of Shukhair, Sunamganj. Some members have visited this area before, while others are entirely new. Sitting at the tea stall, discussions about Shukhair landlord commence. At such a time, the local betel leaf seller, Chanchal Sarkar adds his own stories about the mansion of Shukhair.

The landlord of Shukhair was renowned landlord in the continent. Once, when invited by the Muktagachha landlord, due to illness, he sent his steward, Gunaram Talukdar, to represent him, adorned with his red turban. Although Gunaram Talukdar was a steward, his demeanor and behavior were like that of the landlords. However, due to the caste system, despite being a guest, Gunaram was made to sit separately in Ailsha. At the end of the meal, when it was time to give a gift, Gunaram wanted to give a female elephant. Hearing this, the other landlords were amazed. To verify this unbelievable matter, they came to Gunaram’s house from Durgapur and were astonished to see everything and tried to comprehend the wealth and power of Gunaram’s landlord by seeing his wealth.

Another story follows in the narration of Chanchal Panwala,

From various places, many landlords came to hunt tigers, bears, deer and so on. The king and queen of England also came to that event. After everyone went hunting, suddenly an 18-foot long Tiger was seen. However, as the landlords surrounded it, unable to find a way out, it attacked the king of England from above the elephant’s trunk, attacking the English king. Despite the fear of hitting any other king, the Shukhair Landlord Mahamanikya Datta shot the tiger in the face as it lunged to kill it. The tiger flew away and fell dead in the distance. Impressed by this bravery, Queen Victoria awarded the landlord of Shukhair with a golden medal and “Rai”bestowed upon him a title. Along with this, he gave him a double-barreled gun.

Madhuree Sanchita

Visual Artist

Madhuree Sanchita Smrity is a visual artist. Working as a professional fashion designer for many years. Also affiliated as an art and design consultant with different organisation.

Symmetry of times

When I saw that arch… I felt A Golden Gate which is make  Connection with two Eras. Gourarang and Shukhair to 2024. And that is “Symmetry of times”

Mahmuda Siddika

Visual Artist

Her artistic practice is engaging with socio-political dialogue, mythological history, and the constant effect of changes that affect a certain community or whole.

Community engagement and cultural awareness remain integral aspects of strategies for new artistic creations. She explores her works in different mediums. The metaphoric thoughts create the visualisation through different elements in her works.

Curators Note:

As a creative practitioner, I have noticed that while we have plenty of local talent in Bangladesh, our art often fails to explore the full extent of our cultural heritage in local context. This realization has driven my interest in this project even further. I have been contemplated about the co-existence of heritage with our environment, local context, and history, as I believe this fusion promotes initiative and cultivates creativity. The heritage sites we’re focusing on for this exhibition, Gourarang and Shukhair Jamidar bari, are more than 200 years old and located in such remote areas that even artists interested in diving into local history often lack to locate any platform to do so. Providing such a platform is essential, as it allows artists and creative practitioners to connect with our heritage and fosters a deep curiosity in their projects. I’m particularly excited about the potential of these platforms to contribute to a rich artistic practice by inspiring, motivating, and promoting our creative community. Collaboration among multidisciplinary artists is equally important, as it adds layers of depth and richness to the exhibition. I’m confident that this exhibition will not only inspire our creative practitioners but also empower our broader society and community, prompting us to reflect on the importance of preserving local heritage.
– Fareha Zeba | Co-Curator

I want to refer this exhibition as a discourse of inspiration rather than just an exhibiting event. It is certainly not about showcasing artworks but essentially about inspiring creative practitioners, viewers, communities, different layers of society, and workers toward heritage preservation and archiving. This exhibition is a milestone in Dhaka as the pioneering method that provoke artists to recollect the notion of merging their creative labor and thinking process in order to alternatively safeguard the soon to be lost heritages in Bangladesh. We also want to spread the word about the platform that we provide in Uronto for all kind of creative experimental works that speak to the social realities and responsible story telling collectively. The works shown in the exhibition aim to capture the essence of Gourarang and Shukhair palace, two significantly neglected heritage structures in Sunamganj, Sylhet. Some works are reflections of the current situation, some are mixed layers of history, folktale and adapted contemporary stories and some works are reviving traditional cultural elements at the modern time. The main motif is not about individual purpose, rather it’s a collective purpose that is being held in collaboration. Bringing multiple impressions from different disciplines in one site is a deliberate part of the curation to inspire larger range of creative disciplines and communities to construct solidarity toward heritage archiving and safeguarding.
– Sadya Mizan | Co-Curator

Collaborator’s Note:

“The Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation (DBF) supports and collaborates on meticulously curated exhibitions, commissions new works, publishes content, and facilitates cross-cultural residencies. Since 2018, DBF has aimed to enrich the minds of individuals, enhance creativity, critical thinking, and develop a sense of social responsibility towards art history and heritage. It believes in strategic collaboration by providing necessary resources to artists and art practitioners to improve their development for future critical discourses.
DBF wants to show that Bangladesh doesn’t need to be seen or judged by the West’s perspective by initiating dialogues, establishing links through events, content, and collaborations. We aim to initiate discussions through cultural diplomacy regarding our health sector, education, and export of manpower, which are often overlooked topics. These positive narratives have the potential to elevate Bangladesh as a landmark of development, surpassing many countries in South Asia over the years. We have rich cultural heritage which is either being ignored or untapped. DBF does not believe in restricting the art and artists we champion. Since 2018, DBF has been conceived to broaden dialogue with different art collectives like Uronto Artist Community to support platforms that value creativity and Bengal heritage.”