EMK Center holds ‘Us Women 2022’ exhibition

EMK Center's recurring exhibition "Us Women 2022" is being held physically at the Center from March 27, 2022 and will showcase 28 artworks till April 10.

"Us Women" is an exhibition to signify and celebrate Women's History Month and International Women's Day, said a press release.

Since 2018, EMK Center has organised this event every March, making this year the 5th season.

The exhibition is also open to audiences on EMK Center's social media. Out of 113 submissions, 28 Bangladeshi artists' artworks selected for the physical exhibition at the center.

One of the artists, Jerin Tasnim Urbi in her artwork Fierce, demonstrated how conventional methods shackles women's freedom to express emotions.

She said ''People say, a girl should be soft like cotton. Girls should not raise their voices or get angry. I have seen a mother teaching her daughter that she should not get angry, it is okay that boys can show anger. Because they are the kings. That incident made me angrier. I think girls now need to be fierce more than ever to show how strong and capable they are."

"Inside The Head" puts shed on the oppressive patriarchal society that puts women in a cage. In this artwork, Shaila Sharmin expressed the constant struggle of a woman to prove her worth or to just to have basic human rights.

In her words, "The oppression of women is best described as a steel cage, crafted over the centuries by the hands of patriarchal powers, enslaving flightless and chirp-less birds. Birds may be benevolent and gentle, yet they embody a power most ferocious amongst all creatures. The thick bars of oppression slice the wings of the benevolent beings, strip the voice of the once vociferous, and above all destroy the benign life of the feminine."

While many artists embodied the struggle of women to acquire freedom posed by society, Pragna Laboni looked from the other side of the lens. In her artwork, "Women's Strength" she showcased how women worked as warriors during the pandemic.

She used paper cuttings and brushed it with acrylic paint to indicate women's powerful role.