A group exhibition titled BaakMuhurto (A Turning Moment) is currently underway at Shala Neighbourhood Space, Aloki, in Tejgaon, bringing together 20 artists whose works explore moments of transformation through contemporary printmaking practices.
Opened on June 5, the exhibition features 36 artworks that examine the personal, social, environmental and political experiences that shape individual and collective journeys. Eminent artist Monirul Islam and cultural personality Luva Nahid Choudhury attended the inauguration as special guests.
Drawing on the Bengali concept of ‘BaakMuhurto’, a decisive turning point where one direction bends toward another, the exhibition presents works that engage with transitions, disruptions, memories, uncertainties and possibilities. Through diverse printmaking techniques, participating artists reflect on how change unfolds in everyday life as well as within broader social realities.
Rather than treating transformation as a singular event, the exhibition frames it as an ongoing process. The featured works encourage viewers to reconsider assumptions, navigate boundaries and contemplate the emergence of new understandings in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.
The exhibition is rooted in a broader intellectual inquiry into decolonisation and artistic practice. According to the curatorial concept, the project seeks to explore how artists can develop new modes of representation beyond the dominant frameworks of modernism and colonial influence. Through printmaking, the participating artists examine historical turning points in art while engaging with contemporary questions of identity, memory and resistance.
The concept note references pioneering Bangladeshi artists such as SM Sultan, Quamrul Hassan and Zainul Abedin, whose works are seen as important examples of artistic responses to colonial and postcolonial realities. The exhibition seeks to build on those legacies by encouraging artists to sharpen their visual language and engage critically with contemporary conditions.
Organisers describe BaakMuhurto as both an exhibition and a platform for dialogue, bringing together multiple artistic voices to reflect on the intersections of art, society and historical change. Through reflection, conversation and imagination, the exhibition aims to create a shared space for exploring alternative futures and new artistic possibilities.
Open to all, the exhibition remains open to the public daily from 3 pm to 9 pm until June 12.
