Multi-channel video, archival prints, and objects
Exhibition: The year-long art project was developed to celebrate the recognition of Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain’s Sultana’s Dream as a UNESCO Memory of the World (Asia-Pacific) register entry. Nineteen artists ultimately exhibited their work in the exhibition.
Reimaging Sultana's Dream, 6 December 2025 – 7 March 2026
Liberation War Museum, Agargaon, Dhaka
The visual narrative is inspired by the power and imagination of my grandmother and the women of her time in the region where my family's roots belong. The experiences I see of them in some of my memories reflect a kind of guardianship. Although I did not see any clear manifestation of women's autonomy or empowerment among them, they nevertheless created their own world centred on work, knowledge, and everyday life within the family and social circle. They were the rulers and guardians of that realm. Although the narrative is not a direct account of the life or work of any individual, it is a blend of memory and imagination, where an attempt is made to piece together fragmented narratives through images and stories.
In this narrative, Sultana’s Dream (1905), a Bengali feminist utopian story written by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, serves as an underlying reference. Portrayed from the text of Sultana’s Dream, I have reimagined and fictionalised the memories of my relatives through elements of science fiction and fantasy.
Installation view video still
Installation view
video still
Installation view
Installation view
