written by: News Desk
Bangladeshi contemporary artist Soma Surovi Jannat has achieved a significant international milestone with her solo exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum, the world-renowned museum of art and archaeology at the University of Oxford. The exhibition marks the first-ever solo presentation by a Bangladeshi artist at the historic institution, representing a landmark moment for Bangladesh’s contemporary art scene.
Titled “Soma Surovi Jannat: Climate Culture Care,” the exhibition opened on March 28 and will remain on view until November 30. It is the fifth edition of the Ashmolean Museum’s Ashmolean Now series, which invites contemporary artists to create new works inspired by the museum’s extensive historical collections.
Jannat participated in the Ashmolean’s Artist-in-Residence programme in 2023. During her residency, she conducted extensive research in the museum’s archives, study rooms, and South Asian collections. Drawing on this experience, along with the landscapes of the Sundarbans and the realities of climate change in Bangladesh, she developed an exhibition that bridges history, ecology, and contemporary artistic practice.
The exhibition features 22 newly created artworks, including intricate ink drawings on paper, large-scale scrolls, circular compositions, and a site-specific wall installation. Alongside these works, the museum is displaying 28 historical objects from its own collection that inspired the artist, creating a compelling dialogue between historical artefacts and contemporary visual narratives.
At the heart of Jannat’s artistic practice is the interconnected relationship between people, nature, and the animal world. Rather than portraying the Sundarbans simply as a forest, the exhibition presents it as a symbol of climate change, biodiversity, indigenous beliefs, coastal life, social inequality, and humanity’s shared responsibility toward the environment.
The artworks explore a wide range of themes, including Bonbibi, tiger widows, honey collectors, fishermen, coastal islands, wildlife, women’s lived experiences, and the devastating impacts of environmental degradation. Through her highly detailed line drawings, Jannat weaves together folklore, social realities, and ecological concerns into layered visual narratives.
One of the exhibition’s highlights is the 30-foot site-specific mural, “She Carries the River in Her Skin,” which reflects the lives of women and marginalized communities living on the frontlines of climate change. Another major work, the large-scale scroll “Between the Sea and Sky, Who Holds the Ground,” presents an expansive visual narrative of the Sundarbans ecosystem, climate displacement, Bonbibi mythology, and the enduring relationship between humans and nature.
The exhibition is curated by Professor Mallica Kumbera Landrus, Head of the Eastern Art Department and Curator of South Asian Art at the Ashmolean Museum. A richly illustrated 112-page exhibition catalogue, edited by Landrus, has also been published to accompany the exhibition.
The project has been supported by several international organizations, including the British Council, Samdani Art Foundation, Sotheby’s, Charles Wallace Bangladesh Trust, Gallery Espace (New Delhi), and other institutional partners.
More than a personal achievement, the exhibition represents a major milestone for Bangladeshi contemporary art on the global stage. By addressing urgent issues such as the Sundarbans, climate change, and environmental justice through a distinctive artistic language, Soma Surovi Jannat introduces international audiences to a powerful new perspective on Bangladesh’s art, culture, and ecological realities.
