"The Mela comprises a series of themed and solo exhibitions, by international and Bangladeshi artists at venues across downtown Dhaka. Until 2024, Bangladeshi artists had to contend with the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian government, which monopolised access to funding and foreign collaboration. Many arts institutions were turned into propaganda machines, as Hasina's cultural officials 'just wanted to please the national leader,' one Bangladeshi artist told the Financial Times last year."
""we can't just sit at home and hide""
""We have to address the time we are in, across the region," Wasif tells The Art Newspaper. "There is a sense of collapse of order but also of solidarity-a sense that certain things need to be changed.""
Gen-Z-led protests have shaken South Asia over four years, culminating in Bangladesh's Monsoon Revolution in summer 2024. The country prepares for general elections amid deep political uncertainty and widespread youth frustration. Dhaka's Chobi Mela photography festival opens during a precarious moment for the arts after December mob attacks targeted arts and media groups, prompting UN and secular cultural outrage. Curator Munem Wasif altered festival dates multiple times and framed programming around the idea of 'revolution,' exploring how societal recreation can repeat past errors while seeking renewal. Until 2024, cultural institutions faced monopolised funding and politicisation under Sheikh Hasina's government.
Read at The Art Newspaper - International art news and events
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