সন্নিকট / Sannikat

Reminiscing the natural flora and fauna in his village from childhood, a specific memory stands out; the flowers from the mystic Kadam tree in Monsoon, near the Kangsa River, in Mymensingh. Goswami recalls taking shelter from the rain under the hospitable tree; inhaling its short-lived, yet sweet aromas, reveling at its wild beauty; closing his eyes for a few seconds, only to lose himself in melancholic calmness, with fleeting dreams of love and unbound joy.

A wish.
A dream..
A memory…

Hazaribagh- A Thousand Gardens- is well known for its industrial leather manufacturing in one of the most polluted areas of Dhaka city. Goswami coincidentally found a trace of the fabled garden next to the Mukti Tannery building (future home of Brihatta Art Foundation) in the form of a majestic Kadam tree from his childhood. The artwork, a mixed media piece by Brihatta Co-founder and artist Bishwajit Goswami, was created at Brihatta art space, Hazaribagh, in collaboration with shitalpati artisan Harendra Kumar Das. Shitalpati is recognised on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (December 2017).

The artwork, presented at Paris Internationale 2023 and curated by Anissa Touati, brought these intimate narratives of Dhaka’s evolving landscape to an international audience.