The Dhārā: Loomscape is a cross-cultural celebration of Jamdani, highlighting a unique collaboration between Bangladeshi artists and artisans.
Dhārā: Loomscape, a textile art exhibition curated by Mahenaz Chowdhury and Samira Syed, showcased a unique collaboration between Bangladeshi artisans and contemporary artists. The exhibition journeyed from Dhaka to Berlin, charming audiences with its innovative blend of tradition and contemporary expression. The Berlin exhibition was held at subkontinent (donaustraße 84, 12043 Berlin) from March 7th to 9th, 2025.
The project began with a co-creation centred residency programme that brought together multidisciplinary artists – Anika Alamin, Heeva Reza, Lamees Rahman, Shohrab Jahan, and Tasleema Alam – and heritage craft master weavers – Md. Rajon Mia, Md. Amir Hussain, Md. Emran Hossen, Nazrul Islam, and Md. Jahangir Hossain – to foster collaboration. Curator Mahenaz Chowdhury stated that her main challenge was to understand how we get to that point where it is a true collaboration in order to have the artisan’s voice, ideas and craft be represented and reflected alongside the artists, emphasising that bringing attention to equality and collaboration was an integral part of the process. To prepare, organisers initiated a lead time to establish conversations and address the complexities of a hybrid model, with artisans in Sonargaon and artists in various locations. The hybrid programme facilitated communication between Bangladeshi artists, both abroad and within the country, and the artisans through WhatsApp, allowing for seamless idea exchange and learning about the craft and its challenges, and included an online curriculum with weekly assignments.
Several artworks illustrated the collaboration central to ‘Loomscape.’ Heeva Reza, an industrial innovator, collaborated to produce a 3D model using Jamdani looms, described as a playful and a unique take on the future of jamdani. Lamees Rahman, a digital media and printmaking artist, deconstructed old Jamdani samples to develop abstract designs, woven by artisans, resulting in new types of motifs based on the old motifs.
A workshop at Dhaka Makers in January offered public interaction and feedback that influenced the project. The public showed great interest, as they were fascinated by the real time weaving they were able to do at the Jamdani Loom and the yarn spinning demonstrations. Mahenaz Chowdhury noted the public’s enthusiasm, “The workshop was sold out, which itself is a fantastic indicator to highlight the interest of the general public, that they want to know how things are done.” Participants learned to design and weave motifs, guided by artist-in-residence Tasleema Alam and the weavers. Feedback highlighted the meditative nature of the process. Chowdhury described the atmosphere, “It was pretty wonderful to see the Sonargoan jamdani weaving scene and ambience, silence is replicated in the bustling festival of Dhaka makers, where in the room it was pin drop silence. A mutual respect was established.” She stressed that these workshops are key to creating spaces for consumers and artisans to have a dialogue and foster the craft into the future.
The exhibition’s first showing was in Dhaka, where it was profoundly impactful, with a notably significant turnout. Co-curator Samira Syed observed that engagement and connections with key stakeholders in Dhaka were particularly meaningful and that the presence of artisans and weavers elevated the event. The Dhaka exhibition, held at Paraa Shala in Aloki, was highly interactive and engaging, generating substantial impact within a short timeframe.
In Berlin, the exhibition aimed to connect with the diaspora and cultural institutions. Syed highlighted the difference in scale between the two locations, “In Dhaka, we are big fish in a small pond. However, when transitioning to an international city like London or Berlin, we become small fish in a big pond. Consequently, the dynamics of an exhibition space and capturing attention become more nuanced and challenging.” The Berlin exhibition held particular significance for the diaspora living in the city and the country. The audience in Berlin included people with ties to Bangladesh, professionals in curation and textile art, and those new to Jamdani.
Ultimately, the curators wanted visitors to experience love for Bangladesh, Jamdani and our weavers. They expressed a desire for Bangladeshi textile art to thrive and have its own identity, emphasising the importance of finding ways to make it more relevant in the present so it has a future. The vision is to encourage more artists, designers, and researchers to come on board to experiment and explore the world of Jamdani craft so we can have a strong foothold in the global art and craft industry as we had centuries ago and for Bengal craft to thrive in its own glory. There are plans in the works to showcase Dhārā: Loomscape again in Dhaka and potentially expand the exhibition.