Peering through a narrow alley in Nayanagor-Fasertek, Bhatara, one will notice a curious gathering from a distance. Taking a few steps closer, a gigantic wall mural will come in sight.
A face of a Garo woman appears, followed by that of a woman with half of her face adorned with flowers; a few examples of many portrayed on the wall at “Invisibellas.”
“InvisiBellas” is a street art project initiated by the Dhaka Hub of Global Shapers, aiming to illustrate real-life situations faced by women in the society. This peaceful and artistic movement aims to break the existing mindset of the people in the society so that women can be praised for their work, and not be restrained to just dreaming.
Artists taking part in the event have chosen to work with burning topics such as neglect of household helpers, the unique role of female Garo beauticians in urban beauty parlours, the objectification and vulgar portrayal of women in the film industry, child marriage, the docile and the unappreciated image of mothers.
The spectators in the alley enjoyed the occasion, especially the children. The artists were asked directly on any issues arising from the spectators, for they were present themselves. Moreover, the viewers were not shy to speak up either, and Nifar Ferdous, spectator, joyfully added her thought: “Although it’s not possible to understand each artwork to the depth the artists originally intended, I could relate to many themes depicted in the project.”
“It is a unique and great initiative, I must say. It’s not possible to change the notion all of a sudden, however, it will surely have some impact on human minds,” commented Twinkle, a spectator.
In order to attract public attention towards these existing issues concerning women, the “InvisaBellas” will be launched on March 19 at the Bengal Art Lounge. According to the organisers, the subjects used in the artwork, or Invisibellas, are everyday heroins who are overlooked, unheard, uncounted, unspoken for and told how to think. We desire to applaud and praise these women, raise our voices against violators and perpetrators and break the wall of restrictive social norms.”
Participating artists are Liza Hasan, Kazi Istela, Manik N Ratan, Maleena Dhrity Gomez, Salzar Rahman, Amit Ashraf, Saiq’a S Chowdhury, Sayeef Mahmud, Wasi Ahmed, Dibarah Mahboob, Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy, Nuhash Humayun, Alia Kamal, Mahenaz Chowdhury, Nuzhat Tabassum and Tanzia Haq. Among them, a few shared their ideas:
Liza Hasan
“The Garo women in our country usually end up working in the beauty parlours. These artists make someone look beautiful. We always tend to compliment only those who are being made up, however, utterly forgetting about the women behind this. It’s unfortunate but true that their efforts become unseen.”
Nuhash Humayun
“I grew up with women like my mother and three sisters. And lots of my close friends are girls. They have shared their happiness and pain with me. Thus I feel what it’s like to be in their position. My illustration is that of a girl in a regular shalwar kameez, carrying a sword. That’s something men don’t need to carry but they need a certain amount of awareness.”
Syed Rashad Imam Tanmoy
“What you allow is what will continue. It’s tough being a woman, it’s even worse in a country like ours, with shackles of fear, injustice and ‘what will people think.’ But the grass is never greener on any side. It all comes down to ‘you.’ Be the game changer, out-dream yourself. Only ‘you’ can make it, lady. Believe that you can and you will. My graffiti is basically all about that.”
Maleena Dhrity Gomez
“My artwork is called ‘Aparajaya’ which means undefeated. It portrays an acid victim and how she feels after the incident. No matter what they do and how much they hurt her, she’ll take it and turn them into flowers.”
Kazi Istela
“People want to pursue their dreams and hobbies. There are many girls in our society who are bound to suppress their wishes and live a life based on others’ decisions. My artwork is about the world inside one’s ribs that constraints all your wishes and dreams.”
Mahenaz Chowdhury
“A girl who doesn’t have a pretty face may have substantial potential inside her. In our society, all that seems to matter is external beauty. If you’re not beautiful, you’re not good enough. When someone sees a lady, they seek to be impressed with their eyes. In every step of their lives, people rarely care about what a woman is good at. That’s the theme of my artwork.”
Dibarah Mahboob
“My artwork focuses on dowry and child marriage simultaneously. Whether it is a child bride or any other, they are valued by the dowry offered by her family. My work revolves around this concept.”