Kamruzzaman Shadhin
Bangladesh b.1974

Gidree Bawlee Foundation Of Arts
Established 2001, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh

Collaborating artists: Johura Begum, Monowara Begum, Majeda Begum, Fatema Begum(1), Shabnur Begum, Chayna Begum, Fatema Begum(2), Samiron Begum, Shirina Begum, Rekha, Nasima Begum, Shushila Rani, Protima Rani and Akalu Barman

Over more than 20 years, Kamruzzaman Shadhin has developed new possibilities for contemporary art in Bangladesh, based on the communities of his home village, Balia, in the far north-western state of Thakurgaon. In 2001, he established Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts to work with local communities and as a catalyst for social inclusivity through collaborative approaches.

Constructed with 70 giant shikas — embroidered, reticulated bags typically made of jute strings that are tied to an exposed beam — The fibrous souls explores part of Bengal’s colonial history, inspired by the families that followed the railway tracks after the British East India Company established the Eastern Bengal Railway and later displaced in Bangladesh. Working with 13 women from jute-making families to construct the shikas, along with a handful of local craftspeople to create the pots and connecting jute ropes, Kamruzzaman and Gidree Bawlee have constructed a giant hanging system of shikas, laid out as a map of the historic railway.