Current Exhibitions
Main Gallery
Amra Shobai Ekhanay: We Are Here
The Customs House Gallery
9 August – 18 September 2022
Amra Shobai Ekhanay: We Are Here is an exhibition celebrating the Bangladeshi community in South Shields. Led by the Srijoni Women’s Group, the works in this exhibition are part of a borough-wide collaborative celebration of the Bangladeshi community in South Shields, preluding the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh.
The exhibition highlights the rich heritage of the local Bangladeshi communities and explores different aspects in the participants’ lives in relation to the local culture of South Tyneside – from celebrations to everyday life, and from discussions around Bangladeshi heritage and culture to far-reaching topics such as climate change.
Some of the exhibited works were made through various projects, including ‘Art with Parvin’ at The Customs House, ‘The Jubilee Project’, and ‘Engaging Environments’. The exhibition also features works by two local Bangladeshi women artists, Parvin Abdur and Roohia Syed Ahmed. Accompanying the artworks in this exhibition are a number of objects of personal and cultural significance provided by participants of the previously mentioned projects.
Altogether, the objects and artworks on display help to give us an insight into the diasporic narratives of the Bangladeshi community in South Tyneside and beyond.
The Srijoni Women’s Group brings together local women, many of whom are of Bangladeshi heritage, to take part in art and craft sessions. Srijoni means ‘Creative’ in Bengali, and these sessions have helped participants to learn new creative skills and explore artistic ways of expressing themselves, whilst also offering a supportive space for mental and social well-being.
Virtual Tour:
Coming Soon!
If you are interested in exhibiting in our gallery or have any queries about our exhibitions or art workshops, please email [email protected]