Exhibition: Choloman by Monica Jahan Bose

PRESS RELEASE – Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 6, 2024

“চলমান (Choloman)/Ongoing,” an exhibition by Monica Jahan Bose

Location: Aloki, Shala Art Gallery (Ground Floor), 211 Gulshan - Tejgaon Link Road, Dhaka -1208

Exhibition dates/times: 1 - 9 March, 2024, 3-9 pm daily

Closing & Performance: 9th March 2024 at 5 pm at Aloki, Shala Art Gallery, Chief Guest Hon. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change

Artist’s talk: 29th February 2024 at 10 am at

Curator: Ruxmini Choudhury

The Neighborhood Art Space at Aloki was pleased to present the exhibition “চলমান (Choloman) Ongoing” by artist and climate activist Monica Jahan Bose. Monica was exhibiting in Bangladesh after nine years and is visiting Bangladesh on a cultural exchange through the U.S. State Department’s Art in Embassies program. The exhibition was an immersive installation featuring a new three-channel video and colorful cascading saris on the theme of climate change and women. Curated by Ruxmini Choudhury, the exhibition took place from 29th February to 9 March 2024. The final day, 9th March 2024 featured a performance by the artist. The public was invited to join and participate in this performance about gender and climate change. She collaborated with women from Katakhali, members of One Billion Rising Bangladesh, and others in the closing performance on 9th March. The Chief Guest at the Closing was Hon. Saber Hossain Chowdhury, M.P., Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

The Choloman exhibition is an in-progress snapshot of Monica Jahan Bose’s ongoing decade-long Storytelling with Saris collaborative art project, addressing climate change and its impact on women, food, and our environment through saris, film, and performance. The word "choloman" in Bangla means ongoing, moving, or continuous and is especially used to refer to films that are running. Monica has worked for more than a decade with women farmers from her ancestral village in Katakhali, Barobaishdia Island, Patuakhali District along with residents of her home in Washington DC and others around the world. The saris are covered in woodblocks designed by Monica, along with writings and paintings by people around the world.

Quote from Monica Jahan Bose: As we struggle to survive in a world devastated by climate change, we need to build community and hope through art. Through Storytelling with Saris, I am trying to preserve cultural heritage while highlighting the stories of climate injustice.

Quote from Ruxmini’s curatorial essay: Monica's unwavering dedication and imaginative flair shine brightly in this vibrant and poetic exhibition. By ingeniously employing identical saris across various performances and installations, she prompts essential reflections on the responsible utilization of materials in both art and our environment. Through this thought-provoking approach, she advocates for a conscientious shift towards reducing consumption and promoting the ethos of reuse.

About Monica Jahan Bose: Monica Jahan Bose is a Bangladeshi-American artist and climate activist whose work spans painting, printmaking, film, performance, and installation. Her socially engaged work highlights the intersection of climate, racial, gender, and economic injustice through co-created workshops, art actions, and temporary installations and performances. She has exhibited her work extensively in the US and internationally (22 solo shows, five outdoor public art projects, and more than 25 performances), including solo exhibitions at the Bangladesh National Museum and MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art Rome. Her ongoing decade-long collaborative art and advocacy project Storytelling with Saris with women farmers from her ancestral island village has traveled to eight countries and 12 US states, engaging thousands of people. She has received numerous grants and awards. Her paintings, saris, and archives are in the collection of the Smithsonian. Monica was an artist delegate to the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, presenting sari installations, workshops, and film screenings in four venues. She has a BA in the Practice of Art (Painting) from Wesleyan University, a diploma in art from Santiniketan, and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/tp9v10awq1kiczs6yksnp/h?rlkey=klcv2obqn8u5rkivfgjpx4jf2&dl=0

For inquiries, please contact:

Artist: Monica Jahan Bose, [email protected], 1-202-509-6282 (WhatsApp), Bangladesh mobile 01704578232

Curator:Ruxmini Choudhury, [email protected] Mobile: 01872550465

Artist websites: monicajahanbose.com storytellingwithsaris.com

Social Media: Instagram: @storywithsari @mjbose Twitter: @storywithsari Facebook/StorytellingWithSaris