An upcoming exhibition in Dhaka turns to newspapers, pamphlets and literary supplements to revisit how print culture shaped public memory around the 1952 Language Movement — and how those visual and textual traditions continue to influence contemporary artistic practice.
Titled “Sangkalan”, the exhibition will open on February 20 at Galerie Zoom inside Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi. Running through February 28, the show examines how vernacular print media — from magazines and literary supplements to pamphlets and posters — became instruments of resistance, documentation and collective identity in the decades following the Language Movement.
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Curated as both an archival and contemporary presentation, the exhibition brings together original materials alongside carefully reproduced prints. These works trace how activism surrounding linguistic rights circulated through everyday publishing practices, shaping political awareness and cultural memory across generations.
Rather than focusing solely on historical narration, the exhibition highlights the evolving visual language of protest and remembrance. Typography, illustration styles and editorial layouts are presented as cultural artefacts in their own right — evidence of how print became a democratic medium through which ideas travelled beyond institutional spaces.
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Alongside archival displays, “Sangkalan” introduces newly designed postcards and posters inspired by historic publications. A curated selection of contemporary artworks responding to vernacular print traditions expands the conversation into the present, suggesting that the legacy of language activism remains active within Bangladesh’s artistic and intellectual landscape.
The exhibition arrives ahead of International Mother Language Day on February 21, a period when reflection on linguistic identity and cultural heritage takes on heightened public significance in Bangladesh.
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By placing historical documents beside contemporary responses, the organisers frame print culture not simply as a record of struggle but as an ongoing dialogue between memory and modern expression.
The exhibition will run from February 20 to 28, 2026, with an opening reception scheduled for 6:30 pm on February 20 at Galerie Zoom, Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi. Visiting hours are from 3 pm to 9 pm, except on Sundays when the gallery remains closed. The exhibition is open to all visitors.
