An interdisciplinary art and architecture exhibition
examining how feminist ethics can shape climate-responsive and inclusive public
spaces in the Bengal Delta.
The British Council announces the opening of Dialogues in
Coexistence: Shaping Inclusive Public Spaces in the Bengal Delta, opening on
Saturday, 27 June 2026 at Bengal Shilpalay, Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The inauguration
will begin at 5:00 PM, with the exhibition open to the public from 10:00 AM to
8:00 PM from 28 June until 25 July 2026.
Supported through the British Council’s Women of the World
(WOW) Bangladesh Grants Programme, the project is led by architects Saiqa Iqbal
Meghna and Suvro Sovon Chowdhury. The exhibition brings together art and
architecture to explore how feminist ethics, climate responsiveness, and public
participation can inform the design of more inclusive civic spaces in the
Bengal Delta.
The opening will be attended by Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki
M.P., Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Planning, and James Goldman,
Acting British High Commissioner and Development Director to Bangladesh, and
will be presided over by Luva Nahid Choudhury, Director-General of Bengal
Foundation, and Stephen Forbes, Country Director Bangladesh, British Council.
The exhibition has been developed with curatorial guidance
from Luva Nahid Choudhury, Director-General of Bengal Foundation and Wakilur
Rahman, acclaimed artist and Founder of Kala Kendra positioning architecture
not only as a physical practice, but as a platform for participation,
belonging, and shared stewardship. Visitors will encounter installations that
foreground local materials, craft traditions, and environmental sensitivity
while reimagining the relationship between people, place, and ecology.
The opening event will also feature a special address by
Professor Kazi Khaleed Ashraf, architect, educator, and Director General of the
Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements. The event will
bring together representatives from the cultural sector, academia, government,
development organisations, and the wider public.
This initiative reflects the British Council’s ongoing
commitment to advancing gender equality and addressing the climate emergency
through arts and culture, while supporting women-led creative practice and
interdisciplinary collaboration. It forms part of a wider effort to strengthen
the creative economy and support more inclusive and sustainable societies.
