“Fragments of the Anthropocene” is an exhibition of installations, drawings and video. It presents two young Bangladeshi artist's take on the Anthropocene, a term coined at the turn of the 21st century to designate the current geological era marked by the impact of human activity on Earth's systems and processes. Both born in the early eighties, ShimulSaha and Zihan Karim have lived most of their lives in the cities of Dhaka and Chittagong respectively, which has had a profound influence on their practices. Their “Anthropocene” is an age in which the individual is primarily confronted with loss: loss of (bio) diversity through debilitating diseases or physical pain, of heritage through the incessant transformation of the cityscape, and of creativity to conform to new behavioral codes and aggressive social norms induced by urbanization. Far from being resigned or nostalgic, Saha and Karim treat these issues with sensibility or scathing irony to deliver a powerful understanding of the age they live in.
Bengal Art Lounge, Dhaka