Gallery of Shala

Understanding Urban Reality | Filmy SHALA 4

SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space hosted an intimate evening of critical reflection and visual storytelling on April 19 through its event Filmy_SHALA 4, spotlighting three short films that explore the evolving dynamics of urban life in Bangladesh. The screening featured: Rural to Urban Migration in Bangladesh (2024) Fantasy in a Concrete Jungle (2023) Raven (2024) Directed by Sayed Minhaz Ahmed, Mehedi Mostafa, and Zayed Siddiki respectively, each film brought forward different lenses on the urban experience — from internal migration and dislocation to the psychological weight of the built environment. Following the screenings, the filmmakers joined an open discussion with the audience, reflecting on the themes of urban transformation, memory, belonging, and displacement. The dialogue bridged personal experiences with broader socio-political contexts, shedding light on how the city shapes — and is shaped by — the lives within it. The event drew viewers from diverse backgrounds including students, artists, researchers, and community members, all engaging in meaningful conversation about the everyday challenges and overlooked nuances of Dhaka’s urban reality. With Filmy_SHALA, SHALA continues its commitment to building community through critical art practices and storytelling that foreground local perspectives and lived experiences.

On Dhaka | Filmy SHALA 3

At a time when the city is often reduced to traffic jams and congestion, SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space offered a refreshing perspective through “On Dhaka” — a multi-format storytelling event held on April 11, 2025. From 6 PM to 8 PM, the space welcomed an intimate yet diverse audience into an immersive evening of photo stories, short films, and reflective talks, each piece exploring life in Dhaka beyond the surface. The program featured: Photo Stories by: Arshadul Hoque Rocky Muntasi Rovi Snighdha Rahman Each photographer brought forward scenes of daily life, quiet moments, and personal reflections — capturing the city’s contradictions and complexities through unique visual narratives. Film Screenings: Cheers Maghfirat Jinnah Is Dead The films varied in tone and topic — from tales of urban isolation to memory and migration — but all grounded in Dhaka’s lived experiences. They opened up space for conversation around how the city shapes, and is shaped by, those who inhabit it. Through the mix of formats and voices, “On Dhaka” invited the audience to engage with the city not only as a place of chaos and movement, but also as a container of memory, resilience, and human connection. The event reaffirmed SHALA’s ongoing commitment to platforming grassroots storytelling and building a space for collective reflection within the neighbourhood.

Bohu Bhashar Kobita

On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space hosted Bohu Bhashar Kobita or “Poetry in Many Tongues” — an evening dedicated to celebrating linguistic diversity through poetry, held on February 20, 2025, at its space on Tejgaon–Gulshan Link Road. The event featured poetry readings in seven languages spoken across Bangladesh and beyond: Bangla, Chakma, Marma, Mandi (Garo), Sylheti, Arabic, and English. With each reading, the audience experienced a unique rhythm, perspective, and cultural context, reflecting the country’s rich linguistic mosaic. Participants included: Fahim Bin Hamid (Arabic poetry) Sujalo Chakma (Chakma poetry) Umme Rayhana (English poetry) U Mimi Marma Suchi (Marma poetry) Nazia Afrin Monami (Bangla poetry) Anthony Rema (Mandi poetry) Ayesha Rahman Chowdhury (Sylheti poetry) Alongside the readings, the event also featured reflections on the meanings, social relevance, and historical context of the poems. Attendees engaged in open conversations around the role of language in identity, memory, and contemporary life. The program emphasized that International Mother Language Day is not only a moment of remembrance but also a call to recognize, preserve, and share the many living languages that shape Bangladesh’s cultural identity. With this event, SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space continues its commitment to platforming diverse voices and fostering inclusive spaces for creative expression and dialogue.

Creative Fellowships at SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space

Call for Creative Fellowships at SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space invites applications for Creative Fellowships designed to collaboratively explore and reimagine the changing urban neighbourhood of the Tejgaon Industrial Areas. As a creative practitioner, artist, or researcher passionate about exploring urban dynamics and community connections, SHALA offers a space and opportunity to collectively build a meaningful future that is climate resilient. For Detail check here- https://paraa.org/projects/call-for-creative-fellowships-at-shala-neighbourhood-art-space For registration check here- https://linktr.ee/shala_nas?utm_source=linktree_profile_share&ltsid=b8f875d3-a6e4-4ff8-b282-a39af51bdb4e

Traditions of Upcycling : A conversation with artist Farhana Afroz Bappy | Golper-Shala 5

The talk discusses time-old practices of upcycling in Bangladesh’ regional context, and how these practices have evolved in our fast-paced urban lives. We explore how these knowledge, passed down through generations, are shaping our climate-resilient futures in a globalized world. You are invited to join us for a grounding morning adda, part of the Gloper-SHALA talk series which focuses on different topics relating to the future of the neighbourhood, architecture, culture and urbanism.

Ghurpak 1 | 2024

Ghurpak is a two day program fostering social cohesion and dialogue around environmentally sustainable practices in our daily lives through upcycling workshops, mending stations, clothes swap stations, talk programs, and film screenings. The program is a way to build relationships within SHALA’s neighbourhood and continue to understand the diverse, multifaceted needs to build a resilient future in light of climate catastrophes which unevenly affects the communities that make up the unique urban reality of an industrial-commercial area, like Tejgaon.

Testimony of a Thread | Filmy-SHALA 2

Filmy-SHALA Friday 6:00pm-7:30pm | 18th October SHALA_Neighbourhood Art Space একটি সূতার জবানবন্দী | Testimony of a Thread (52 min) Director : Kamar Ahmad Simon Producer: Sara Afreen SYNOPSIS | Reality is a perception and it changes with perspective. Every individual who falls victim to a fatal accident is a character in their own right, but reduced to a mere number in the media! Inspired by Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Rashomon’, ‘Testimony of a Thread’ is a monologue collage in search of a face behind the numbers of the deadliest structural failure accident in modern human history.

Golpershala 1

We invite you to the first of the ‘Golpershala’ talk series. These talks will focus on different topics relating to the future of the neighbourhood, architecture, culture and urbanism.

Golper-Shala 3

NAVIGATING RIGHTS WITHIN SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
 A conversation with Chaumtoli Huq, Lawyer & Law Professor 
Chaumtoli will share her experiences of working with diverse groups of social movements spanning US and Bangladesh. Reflecting on her work and the challenges of navigating different contexts and locations, that are underpinned by her desire for social justice through lens of human rights law, she will also share what has been successful, and how we can continue the fight for social justice. 

We invite you to the third session of the ‘Golper-Shala’ talk series. These talks will focus on different topics relating to the future of the neighbourhood, architecture, culture and urbanism.