‘Chowkath’ explores memories, womanhood and the changing landscape of Bengali homes

Multidisciplinary artist Sarah Jabin’s second solo exhibition “Chowkath” is underway at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka in the capital’s Dhanmondi area. The show presents an evocative exploration of womanhood, domestic spaces, memory, identity, and the cultural traditions that have shaped generations of Bengali households.
The exhibition opened on Friday evening in the presence of eminent artist and writer Mustafa Zaman and, France Embassy in Bangladesh’s Cultural Attaché Baptiste Lebret.
Drawing on research, personal observation, and material culture, “Chowkath” examines the often-overlooked role of women as custodians of family memory and cultural heritage. The title, derived from the Bengali word chowkath (threshold), serves as a powerful metaphor for the space between the private and the public, the past and the present, and individual memory and collective history.
The show features four distinct bodies of work, each employing a different artistic language and material to investigate the intimate relationship between people, place, and memory.
In “Bon Void,” Jabin uses linocut prints to trace the evolving identity of women from childhood through adulthood, reflecting on the social and emotional transformations experienced across different stages of life.
Another series, “The Diminished Time,” employs soap as a sculptural medium to recreate architectural elements inspired by homes in Old Dhaka dating from the 1950s to the 1990s. Through these fragile sculptures, the artist reflects on the gradual disappearance of familiar domestic spaces and the memories embedded within them, highlighting the impermanence of both architecture and lived experience.
In the textile-based series “Sharshi,” the artist shifts her focus to household interiors, drawing attention to the quiet yet enduring presence of women in domestic environments. The works celebrate everyday spaces while acknowledging the invisible labour and emotional histories carried within them.
The exhibition is completed by a series of delicate copper-wire line drawings that depict rituals, traditions, and fragments of a cultural landscape slowly fading with time. Together, these works form a visual archive of memories, preserving stories that might otherwise disappear.
Through these interconnected bodies of work, Jabin positions herself as both an observer and a witness to a society undergoing rapid transformation. Her artistic practice brings together objects, spaces, and memories that bridge generations, encouraging viewers to reflect on how cultural identity is shaped and sustained through everyday life.
For older audience, the exhibition may evoke nostalgia for familiar homes, customs, and lived experiences. Younger visitors, meanwhile, are offered a glimpse into the worlds inhabited by their mothers and grandmothers, fostering a deeper appreciation of the traditions and histories that continue to influence contemporary Bengali life.
By transforming the “chowkath” into a conceptual space of reflection, the exhibition encourages the audience to contemplate what is preserved, what is lost, and what remains embedded within the spaces we call home. Blending personal narratives with collective memory, “Chowkath” offers a poignant meditation on womanhood, domesticity, and cultural inheritance, presenting an intimate yet universally resonant portrait of a society in transition.
The exhibition will remain open to all from 3pm to 9pm till 8 August.