Exploring the intersections of women, domestic spaces, memory and identity, Sarah Jabin’s second solo exhibition, “Chowkath”, invites viewers to reflect on the cultural traditions passed down through generations of Bengali households. The exhibition opened at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) on July 31.
The inauguration was attended by artist and writer Mustafa Zaman, Baptiste Lebret, Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of France in Bangladesh, and François Chambraud, Director of AFD.
In his remarks, Baptiste Lebret warmly welcomed Sarah’s exploration of women and femininity, noting that artistic engagement with women and their empowerment is strongly encouraged in Europe. He added that, as a French citizen, he would also like to see a greater celebration of femininity in Bangladeshi art.
Mustafa Zaman praised the artist’s miniature revival of mid- to late-20th-century architecture. The title of the exhibition, “Chowkath”, meaning “threshold” or “doorway”, symbolises the space between the public and the private, the past and the present, and individual memory and collective history.
Sarah Jabin’s work examines the often-overlooked role of women as bearers of family memory and cultural heritage. The artist demonstrates versatility through four distinct bodies of work, each employing different media and exploring concepts rooted in the familiar intimacy of community, tradition, culture and architecture.
Among the exhibition’s most striking works is “The Diminished Time” series, which draws on the architectural heritage of Old Dhaka homes from the 1950s to the 1990s, reflecting the gradual disappearance of intimate family spaces. Floral motifs, arches, narrow staircases and free-flowing openings are highlighted in delicate soap-carved sculptures. Though small and minimalistic, the works evoke a fusion of Neo-colonial and Art Nouveau architecture.
The delicate semi-abstract line works, created with translucent fabric and thin copper wire, depict Bengali cultural and religious festivities, including Gaye Holud, Pithe Utsab, Shab-e-Barat, and gatherings held for girls’ ear or nose piercings.
“These festivities are now commercial and larger in scale, but they are losing their intimacy, communal harmony and neighbourhood spirit,” Sarah said.
“Bon Void” is a series of linocut prints illustrating a familiar image of a woman’s life, with her identity shaped by societal and familial expectations. Like many women of her generation, Sarah reflects on who her mother might have become had she been able to pursue her own dreams and interests. Looking through photographs documenting her mother’s journey as a daughter, wife and mother, the artist recreated those moments through handcrafted prints.
“Sharshi” is a textile-based series in which Sarah turns her attention to household interiors and the enduring, yet often overlooked, presence of women within them. Embroidered muslin represents the image of an ideal family and home, while simpler Tangail fabric, hidden beneath, symbolises the sacrifices of women that hold the entire system together.
In short, Sarah’s work is unique, skilful, intriguing and sensitive, shedding light on women and their roles in society, while also reflecting on the human connections that are gradually fading from everyday life.
The exhibition will remain open at Alliance Française de Dhaka until August 8, 2026.
