Meet the young Bangladeshi artist redefining the woman’s body image with art
In a world where a woman’s body and appearance are widely judged by societal and cultural standards, a young Bangladeshi artist has emerged with a creative way of changing the narrative.
Anusha Alamgir says she draws inspiration from her everyday experiences and encounters.
Anusha Alamgir fuses creativity and innovation into various forms of arts including architecture, painting and film to develop pieces that address public perception of women and their bodies.
Body as a site
In 2022, Anusha created her first major piece, “Body as a Site”, which focuses on the idea of body architecture.
The work features an inhabitable bodysuit made from everyday materials such as rubber bands, tights, and balloons, aimed at challenging traditional views of a woman's shape and size.
Anusha believes social media, especially for young women, has shaped a specific way people see themselves. Her art, she says, is a way to spark a conversation about body neutrality and accepting the human form for its biological function, free from societal expectations.
“I see that with social media, especially women in the younger generation, they have been conditioned to perceive themselves in a specific way, and I think I am really truly just interested in reshaping the human body to the basis of its basic biology utilities. Truly just accepting body neutrality and I think that the pieces I have made exist as a way to start that conversation,” Anusha revealed in a GSW interview.
Muslim veiling practices
Anusha’s film Porda, that focuses on the practice of veiling has gained international recognition on many platforms including the 2023 Venice Biennale art festival.
The short film highlights the stereotypes that surround the different forms of veiling that exist in different countries and cultures and how women should be able to feel comfortable creating their own versions of veils that are acceptable and comfortable.
“I was trying to create new typologies about the Muslim idea of veiling. And it's interesting because there are so many Muslims that exist in the world but every single culture has a different methodology of veiling,” Anusha told GSW.
“If you look at Somali women, if you look at Malaysian women, if you look at Bangladeshi women, they all have a different methodology of veiling and it’s interesting how these are so curated and unique to the specific geographic regions. There are no written tools of how we should veil the body so I was proposing new ideas of veiling. There’s also a fine line between what we consider acceptable and what we are allowed to create in a way.”
Modes of protection
Anusha also indicated how her work seeks to project new forms of protection for women particularly when they find themselves in dangerous situations. Her pieces aim to empower women by teaching them how to make simple protective items from readily available materials.
“These pieces also serve as modes of protection as in protecting oneself from a police state, modes of aggression, war, colonialism, things that are threatening, and how can we then create things and objects that we can keep in our homes. Modes of production that are very simple for people to use to create some type of body armour that can protect them,” she explained.
Future works
Since graduating from the Royal College of Art in 2022 with a Master’s degree in Architecture, Anusha Alamgir has been focused on producing more work that contributes to important social conversations and advocates for women’s protection. Her next project involves sculptures that explore the life cycle of ships in Bangladesh and Virginia, U.S.A. She hopes her future work continues to challenge societal norms and inspire change.
Watch the full interview here:
