Whiny Women, a group art exhibition that aimed to create a space for women’s expressions, was held on January 4 and 5 at Dhaka Gallery, Banani. What began as a Facebook group called Women In Arts, Bangladesh (WIAB) for women creators around the country to share their works and form a community, manifested into an exhibition of paintings, sculptures, collages, and augmented realities. The curatorial team included a wide range of individuals, from students of social sciences to artists with degrees from fine art institutes. However, striking harmony in curating a group exhibition is always a delicate matter.

“Privilege can be lonely. But what we do with the privilege is what matters at the end of the day,” said Pracheta Ahana, the founder of WIAB and the lead organiser of the exhibition. In her closing speech for the show, she acknowledged both the power and responsibility that comes with belonging to a certain socioeconomic class of the population, among which women are silenced to a relatively lesser degree. Rebelling against the various name-calling and humiliations inflicted towards women for merely being themselves, Ahana was encouraged to come together and create a space that would exist as a form of resistance and resilience.

From a wall covered with surrealistic art prints for sale at BDT 500 to a painting of the cat whom the artist recently lost, an array of emotions, artistic styles and philosophies emerged at the show.  Some paintings alluded to the horrifyingly common forms of female oppression, while others simply portrayed women in their various forms of feminine beauty. The age of consuming content by scrolling on our phones made its impact felt in the style and representation of many of the artworks, in which the artists combined their thoughts and poetry with pictures. While the artworks carried merit on their own, collectively, the show presented itself in fragments, rather than as a cohesive message.

Over the recent years, there have been several youth-led art exhibitions and events, many of which turned the spotlight on social issues and causes. To that end, it is promising to see young creators come together to try and make a mark for what they believe in and what they are passionate about. 

Overall, the exhibition was well received by the audience. Hopefully, Whiny Women is the first of many initiatives that will not only give a platform to women’s voices, but will also strive to break barriers of oppression among the wider socioeconomic landscape of Bangladesh.