Opening launch: Wednesday 15 January 6–8PM

Desire for Belonging is catalysed by the question ‘Where are you from?’, which the artist faces every day like many immigrants. Nevertheless, searching for the answer to this question has become a fundamental part of her artistic practice. ‘I am simultaneously from the river delta of Bangladesh and the Western side of Melbourne’, the artist states. With an inter-regional migratory experience back in Bangladesh, the artist always finds herself on the periphery and an outsider forever. This series of works seeks to unveil the paradox of the artist's complex concept of identity within her diasporic context.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mita Chowdhury, an interdisciplinary visual artist based in Naarm (Melbourne), is pursuing a PhD at RMIT University. Born in Bangladesh, her work explores migration complexities and her experiences as a first-generation female immigrant with a colonised past. Her research focuses on artistic expression and agency concerning cultural and social issues, addressing colonial impacts from a decolonisation perspective. Mita's art examines 'identity' and the 'Third Space' within her hybrid cultural identity, highlighting the vulnerabilities of living in an ‘in-between’ world.

Image credit: Mita Chowdhury, Desire for Belonging 4, 2024, found tree branch, cotton saree, native Khadi fabric, and cotton threads, 186 cm x 76 cm x 49 cm.