Crossing the Border, Being together
Crossing the Border, Being together The adoption of national identity in terms of historical development has commonly been the result of a response by an influential group or groups that is unsatisfied with traditional identities due to inconsistency between their defined social order and the experience of that social order by its members, ensuing in a situation of social instability that nationalists seek to resolve. This development may be the result of internal structural issues or the result of resentment by an existing group or groups towards other communities, especially foreign powers that are or are deemed to be controlling them. In mid nineteenth century, three institutions of power have changed their form and function as the colonized zones entered the age of mechanical reproduction. These three institutions were the census, the map, and the museum together. Now nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a nation. History is a way that used the past to validate own beliefs. Histories are being corporate by nationalism, map, war, religion, globalization, political and identity. Every country has been defined by a map. Maps of the world generally focus either on 'political' features or on 'physical' features. Political maps emphasize territorial boundaries and human settlement. Every country divine by a line which call border. By politically we have to maintain the border. We cannot cross this line. Ever some countries are united but politically it has been changed and made a new map. This map includes in world map. As per the new map people are divine a zone, a country, a nation and have to maintain the line or border. Sometime these lines are going in the middle of the house. One part of this house is belonging one country and another part is belong to the other country. Now we all have our own national flags, national anthems, and other symbols of national identity which are commonly considered highly important symbols of the national community. Nationalism is commonly defined as a love for one's country. Throughout history, large groups of people who share a cultural identity (language, customs, history) have felt the pulling power of nationalistic feeling. The spirit of independence also includes the belief that one's nation is better off as an independent state. Independency is defined as a nation governing itself independently from a centralized point. Revolutions, wars, ethnic tension, and other conflicts of varying degrees have occurred throughout history because of a love for one's country. The spirit of nationalism has shaped the histories and destinies of many countries. Nationalism can unite people into cohesive, stable nations. But people have to habit to identifying oneself with a single nation. Through my project I can share and decentralize my work through history, socio-economic culture and wider community committed to the principles of human dignity and equality. Read More video, installation. 2013 and ongoing project, exhibited also 2017, 2024Material: Muslin (Jamdani) fabric. For Embroidery –needle, thread, red cotton, Wooden structure (8thft), one electronic machinery motor. (it helps to moving projector).55th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.2013 The National Pavilion of Bangladesh.
Sat on a Chair
Sat on a Chair In Sat on a Chair, I use my body to examine endurance, vulnerability, and the psychological experience of height. Bound to a chair atop a tall pillar for three hours, I remained suspended between stillness and risk, inviting the audience to confront feelings of vertigo, empathy, and uncertainty. During the performance, a sudden rain shower left me completely exposed, yet I continued without interruption. Viewed simultaneously from the ground floor and the third floor, the work transformed architectural space into a field of tension, where silence became an active form of communication. Through physical endurance and sustained stillness, I sought to create a shared experience of contemplation, exploring the fragile relationship between the body, gravity, and perception.. 2014Duration: 3 hours Dhaka Art Summit 2014, curated Mahbubur Rahman
The Dress of Tipu Sultan
A Tailor is sewing the dress of Tipu Sultan A two-day performance by Yasmin Jahan Nupur, a leading contemporary artist from Bangladesh. In this performance, Nupur uses specially handwoven muslin-jamdani as a signifier of power and consumption embedded in the contested and violent history of the subcontinent. A highly revered, translucent cotton cloth from Bengal, muslin embellished with jamdani (woven pattern) has been celebrated over the centuries for its mesmerising allure and feather-light texture, often compared to moonlight or the morning dew. This fine cloth made from a labour-intensive process historically adorned the richest of rulers in the subcontinent and attracted a lucrative overseas trade. This performance will take place alongside Nupur’s works on display in the exhibition, Beyond Borders, connecting the rich and complex history of muslin and jamdani. Growing up in Bangladesh Nupur was aware of how muslin had been celebrated across the world but equally, was deeply affected by the legacies and impact of British colonialism. “There are entire generations of Bengali men and women who have grown up with legendary stories of how the British cut off the thumbs of weavers so they could no longer produce muslin and were forced to buy British goods. This history constantly hurts me”. The 18 th century saw significant political, social and economic changes to the subcontinent. It was a time when the area, which once incorporated Pakistan and Bangladesh, (amongst other South Asian countries) was under the administrative control of the British East India Company. Numerous battles were fought and aggressive advances were made to dominate and control trade. During this time, the British East India Company secured trading rights in Bengal, establishing a factory in Dhaka and many others in Bengal. They strictly controlled the production of muslin. By the end of the 18 th century the production was in decline. Many factors contributed to this such as famine, poverty, taxes and competition from British goods. In the late 18 th century Tipu Sultan was known as a fearless and great ruler of Mysore in Southern India, resisting the advances of the British East India Company. During his reign (1782-99) he built magnificent palaces and amassed a great fortune in jewellery, precious gems and ornaments. He was also known for his love of fine clothing including the finest muslins and jamdanis from Bengal. In 1799 Tipu Sultan was killed in the Battle of Srirangapatna (Seringapatam) by the British East India Company which was heralded by them as a triumph. The officers subsequently looted his palaces, resulting in colonial booty eventually making its way into a great number of British national collections where they can still be seen today. Nupur uses muslin/ jamdani as a medium to locate and express these individual and collective memories across time and place. This fine texture conceals and reveals, dissects and unites the space we occupy. The act of weaving is meditative, physical and emotional. The entire body of the weaver is invested into its formation. The fineness of muslin forms a second skin, connecting our bodies and spirit with the woven structures of the universe. Situating the performance in the textile gallery at the Whitworth, Nupur translates these conflicted histories, working silently and industriously, oscillating between the absence and presence, the marginalised craft-maker and glorified victor. Part of the New North and South programme. Read More Part of the New North and South programme.
A Flying Seed and A Bird Named Hiramon
A Flying Seed and A Bird Named Hiramon The Spore studio is transformed by a performative conversation with Yasmin Jahan Nupur , complementing her handwoven soft sculptures and engaging visitors with ” A Flying Seed and a Bird Named Hiramon ” – an intimate moment of storytelling that encourages the audience to relax, connect and immerse oneself in conversations about childhood, memories of forgotten places, rivers and emotions, communal experiences of home, migration and changing ecology. Since storytelling played an important role in Yasmin’s childhood, a key part of her work involves interacting with children and people of all ages to revisit almost forgotten fairy tales and breathe new life into them. Spore Initiative, Berlin. 16th and 17th September 2023(8 hours performance)
Words and Hope
Words and Hope In this performance, I explored the mental and emotional spaces that open up during moments of exchangewithin human relationships. The foundation of the work was the creation of human and political statementsthrough experimental, interactive settings in which contact served as a platform for introspection, research, andself-examination.The central concerns of this project were those of limits and boundaries, both psychological and physical. Ilooked at the potential and constraints of communication, the politics of seeds and land, and the possibilities andlimitations of communication between familiar and unfamiliar languages. Performance Feb 1–2, 20199 hrs total” “India Art Fair (IAF), New Delhi, IndiaART India / JSW initiative”
I Dreamed About Walking in the Sky
I Dreamed About Walking in the Sky The 18th century saw significant political, social and economic changes to the subcontinent. It was a time when the area, which once incorporated Pakistan and Bangladesh, (amongst other South Asian countries) was under the administrative control of the British East India Company. Numerous battles were fought and aggressive advances were made to dominate and control trade. In these eleven brightly hued and hand-embroidered panels of Jamdani textile, you will read the concerns, hopes and dreams of the artist as she considers the questions facing humanity today. In recent years, Bangladeshi artist Yasmin Jahan Nupur has worked with Jamdani, a centuries-old and disappearing fine weaving technique, which she uses to express individual and collective memories across time and space. Through the use of Jamdani, Nupur hopes to express the struggles that accompany this fine craft tradition. In this work, whose draping forms are inspired by the memory of freshly-dyed fabric drying in the sun, the artist has taken a new approach to working with the Jamdani by adding hand-embroidered text, bringing a traditional art form to bear on the contemporary themes she addresses in the work. The works are made up of summer colors, featuring warm shades of pink and a cool shade of light blue. Pink, considered a feminine color in many cultures, has also become a color of protest. The blue might represent the sky and the sea, associated with open space and freedom. Nupur interjects texts across the weave: What will happen if we break our chronological interpretation of history? Who says resistance is futile? I dreamed about walking in the sky. Text edit by: Lori Wood Read More Textile / Embroidery” “2019Also shown Sep–Dec 2023″ “Montalvo Art Center, California, USA; The Whitaker Museum & Art Gallery, UKTextile Biennial”
Let Me Get You a Nice Cup of Tea
Let Me Get You a Nice Cup of Tea Tea originated in China, where it was first valued for its medicinal and spiritual qualities. Buddhist and Taoist monks drank tea to support meditation, drawn to its quiet strength and ability to sharpen attention. Over centuries, tea crossed borders and belief systems, eventually becoming one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, second only to water. Europe’s fascination with tea in the early modern period transformed it into a global commodity. As Russians, Dutch, and British traders competed for control, tea became entangled with imperial ambition. In the 1830s, the British Empire began cultivating tea in India, initially using imported Chinese plants in Assam. Through the East India Company, Britain monopolized the tea trade, converting Indian land and labor into profit. By 1888, more tea was imported to Britain from India than from China. Tea fueled trade routes, colonial violence, and resistance—from the American Revolution to the Opium Wars—quietly shaping global histories while appearing harmless and domestic. Yet tea is more than a colonial product. In South Asia, it became woven into everyday life. In Bangladesh and India, tea is shared in homes and roadside stalls, marking pauses in the day and moments of connection. These rituals have largely been shaped and sustained by women, who transformed tea time into a space for hospitality, storytelling, moral instruction, and care across generations. As tea traveled, it absorbed local knowledge and taste. Cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and sugar gave rise to masala chai and countless regional variations mint tea, chili tea, tamarind tea. In Bangladesh, tea shops become informal public forums where debate, grief, gossip, and laughter coexist. Tea calls people to stop, gather, and speak. This project takes the form of a public tea party performance. Drawing from the structure of British afternoon tea, I reconfigured it into an intimate, reflective gathering rooted in shared presence rather than hierarchy. I harvested and prepared the tea myself, grounding the work in labor, care, and intention. Serving tea becomes a performative act one that carries histories of colonialism, domestic labor, and resistance while opening space for dialogue. Through conversation over tea, participants reflect on what we consume, where it comes from, and the invisible hands and memories it contains. The tea party becomes a site of cultural memory and quiet transformation. Materials: Traditional Chinese teacups and saucers, antique teapot, handwoven tablecloths, wooden table and chairs, antique cabinet, eleven hand-harvested tea blends (traditional and experimental), Jamdani costume, wallpaper drawn with tea pigmen Read More Performance” “2019–2023London Frieze 2019; Dhaka Art Summit 2020; Tate Modern 2022–23″ “London, UK; Dhaka, BangladeshExhibit320 / Peabody Essex Museum commission”
Time Could Not Be Kept at Bay
Time Could Not Be Kept at Bay Throughout the epidemic in 2020, I became more permeable and sensitive to my surroundings. When I learned of someone's illness or death, I would experience a surge of fear and panic that would tighten my chest and make breathing difficult. I felt as if I had entered a different universe because of the unearthly silence that pervaded everything. While the rest of the world went on, it felt like time had stopped for me alone. It has been a long, uninterrupted day, full of bitter experiences. The lines between the past and the future are no longer distinct; they both appear to merge into the present. Days pass in the blink of an eyes, yet every moment seems to drag on forever. I started to feel as though I was experiencing time, sound, space, and behavior for the first time. I started looking closely at the objects around me the loom and yarn resting on the floor, the cleaning tools, the vase, the flowers, even the quiet movements of my daughter. I had seen these before, they had always been there. However, they now had a distinct presence. In addition, I began to focus on language sentences, poetry, prose, and memories. After a long pause, I began to write again. Like silent disclosures, scenarios began to emerge one after the other with every piece of writing. I transformed these sequences into images some still like a poem, others gently moving, like memories coming to life. Read More Installation / Textile. 2021Also exhibited 2022, 2024 Asian Biennale Dhaka; Exhibit 320 Gallery, Delhi, India
Where the Ink is Frozen Performance
Where the Ink is Frozen The ink has thickened and is refusing to be written; all of our realities have frozen. The times we are living inare dark, filled with violence, terror, global trauma and unrelenting grief. Our present is covered in shadows thatstifle speech and conceal the truth beneath layers of quiet. Words remain stuck, the ink stays still, and reality ishidden.Yet still, we wait.We wait for the truth to return to the light, for silence to break, and for the ink to thaw. In the midst of all of thissuffering, there remains a silent hope that one day the ink will flow once more, our voices will be heard, and thesecrets will be exposed. Performance duration 2 hours 30min. 2022(8 th December)At Asian biennale, Shilpakala Academy. Dhaka Bangladesh.Materials: Ice Cubes Frozen Inks Red and black. (Ice made of ink)
Home Participatory Installation
Home In my home project, I explored childhood not just as a memory, but as a place, a journey, and a transformative energy. I delved into the landscapes, people, stories, objects, and emotions that begin to fade as we grow older and drift away from the environments that once shaped us. This work based on my own experience of leaving my hometown and the devastating loss of my ancestral land in 2014 served as the inspiration for this very personal piece. Using this perspective, I developed a participatory installation that invited children, teens, and adults to come together, think, and share their personal tales and memories through guided conversations. In addition to reading aloud cherished stories from books like Thakumar Jhuli stories that have a strong generational resonance, I urged participants to reminisce about long-lost fruits, trees, scents, and other childhood object. I envisioned the space as an intimate, domestic setting where even the smallest emotions could be expressed, held, and heard. The installation invoked collective memories and the rural landscapes of my past by including performative components and suggestions derived from my research. Once a natural fence in my community, a big cactus with eye-catching blue blossoms is now reduced to a little potted plant. It evolved into a subdued, moving representation of continuity and change within the space. At the heart of the installation were a handmade play cart, costumes, and a collection of found and gifted objects that served as storytelling triggers. These elements shaped a fluid, living social space that evolved throughout the exhibition. To hold and expand these conversations, I worked closely with a group of young artists who served as mediators. Together, we facilitated dialogue, documented shared moments, and wove together a multi- generational tapestry of memory, identity, and belonging. Read More Participatory Installation2022–202390 hrs performance” “Multiple venuesBagri Foundation, Samdani Art Foundation, Kiran Nadar Museum of Art”