Brihatta Art Foundation holds design exhibition in Dhaka

Brihatta Art Foundation held an eight-day design exhibition titled “Sthiti - Objects in Conversation” at the in the former tannery district of Hazaribag from June 18-26.

Brihatta Art Foundation art mediator in a guided session with visitors Courtesy

Including Bangladeshi architects, artists, and artisans across five decades of design, the exhibition examined a collective journey featuring furniture as objects of design, said a press release on Sunday. 

A gathering including featured designers and organizers at the exhibition Courtesy

The earliest pieces shown include a print of a chair designed by Muzharul Islam for the Jahangirnagar University dormitory drawn in 1971, as well as Muzharul Islam’s drafting table from his office, produced in the early to mid 1970’s. 

With 33 objects produced by 17 designers including architects, artists, and artisans, the exhibition celebrated the fluidity between design, art, and production, emphasizing design as the result of collaboration and relationships, and highlighting the relationship between craftsmen and designers.

Visitors at the opening event of ‘Objects in Conversation’ Courtesy

The featured works include furniture designed by pioneering architects, artists, and celebrated thinkers, younger generation architects, and a carpenter. 

The majority of pieces were presented publicly for the first time and shown from personal collections.

Brihatta Art Foundation art mediator providing a guided walkthrough of the exhibition Courtesy

The exhibition was organized by the Brihatta Art Foundation, an artist-run, collaborative art platform which opened its doors to the Mukti art space in 2021, transformed from a tannery to a rooftop garden and art platform. 

The project was managed by Nusrat Mahmud, co-founder of Brihatta Art Foundation, and coordinated by Md Imtiaj Islam.

The co-curators are Bishwajit Goswami, artist, art educator, and co-founder of Brihatta Art Foundation; Diane Rhyu Taylor, architect and designer; and Ulrike Fellner, architect.

The multiplicity of perspectives between art, architecture, and design helped to inform the exhibition curation, which was supported by a research team based in the US, including architect and scholar Muhammad Nafisur Rahman.

Artist Tejosh Halder Josh at the exhibition opening Courtesy

Described by visitors to the exhibition as a “landmark design event for Dhaka”, the opening session included introductory remarks by co-founder Nusrat Mahmud, the curators, and participating designer and architect Salauddin Ahmed. 

During the week, the exhibition organized educational visits with students from various fields of study from the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art, Buet, Brac, ULAB, NSU, as well as primary school students from the nearby Gojmohal Tannery school. 

 Students from the Gojmohal Tannery Primary School during a guided visit at the exhibition Courtesy

Closing events included commentary by pioneer of modern crafts and design Chandra Shekhar Shaha, and a discussion with eminent cultural critic, writer, and academic Manzoorul Islam. 

In association with the exhibition, the Brihatta Art Foundation said that they plan to launch a design grant for a next generation young designer, and to continue research into the past and present trajectories of furniture design in Bangladesh.