‘Search Soul, Soil’ sheds light on environmental loss and cultural memory

The 11-day group exhibition “Search Soul, Soil” concluded yesterday (July 28) at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, after showcasing works that examined environmental degradation, ecological loss, memory and cultural identity.

Curated by Kuntal Barai, the exhibition brought together seven contemporary artists—Banani Simlai, Dipro Bonik, Khaidem Sithi Sinha, Lutfa Mahmuda, Md Faijul Islam, Md Hashem and Ruposhiree Hajong.

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Photo: Abrar Faiyaz Niloy

Through installations, paintings, drawings, mixed-media and textile-based works, the artists reflected on the fragile relationship between land, nature and human existence. The exhibition also explored how migration, industrialisation and environmental decline reshape communities and their cultural memories.

“The project brings together young artists whose works listen closely to the fragile conversation between land, memory, culture and human life, while reflecting on a world being reshaped by environmental decline, biodiversity loss and climate change,” curator Kuntal Barai said.

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Photo: Abrar Faiyaz Niloy

He added that the artists traced both visible environmental wounds and quieter forms of disappearance. According to him, the works served as both witnesses and questions, inviting viewers to imagine a more caring relationship with nature and one another.

Banani Simlai’s installation, “Food and Existence,” explored the interdependence between food, soil and human survival. The work highlighted how the continuation of human life is inseparable from the health of the land and the wider natural environment.

Lutfa Mahmuda’s mixed-media work, “Fragments of Belonging,” addressed migration, globalisation, environmental change and cultural transformation. Her work reflected on how displacement and an increasingly interconnected world influence personal and collective identities.

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Photo: Abrar Faiyaz Niloy

Md Hashem presented an installation comprising paintings, drawings and objects that examined the destruction of hills and topsoil. The work transformed environmental loss into a visual reflection on memory, resilience and survival.

Md Faijul Islam focused on the consequences of acid rain and industrial pollution, particularly their effects on ecosystems and everyday life. Dipro Bonik’s installation depicted animals and birds gradually disappearing as a result of human intervention in landscapes and natural habitats.

Artists Khaidem Sithi Sinha and Ruposhiree Hajong drew on the cultural traditions of the Manipuri and Hajong communities. Through textile-based installations, they presented indigenous heritage, rituals and folklore rooted in nature.

Inaugurated on July 18, “Search Soul, Soil” also featured artist talks, performance art and musical events alongside the exhibition. Together, the participating artists encouraged audiences to reconsider their relationship with the natural world and contemplate possibilities for preservation, renewal and coexistence.