Yasmin Jahan Nupur: Crossing Borders and Confronting Identity

Key facts

• Yasmin Jahan Nupur was born in 1979 in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
• She lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
• Her installation 'Crossing the Border, Being Together' (2013) was shown at the Bangladesh Pavilion of the Venice Biennale.
• The installation was recently acquired by the Samdani Art Foundation.
• The work features a large world map (572 x 300 cm) embroidered in traditional Bengali Jamdani cotton.
• An animated projection on the map signals conflict zones.
• The series 'War and Flower' (2011) includes three embroidered pillows referencing the 1947 partition of India and the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.
• The performance 'Behind the Veil' (2008) protests forced wearing of the burqa.
• The installation 'Pain of My Mother' uses closed wooden doors and blood-red cotton to address women's confinement and menstrual taboos.
• The video 'What Color You Are?' (2011) responds to a contract for Indian slaves found in the Mauritius National Archives.
• The video 'Discovering Myself' (2010) shows the artist repeatedly rinsing her face.
• Nupur works across installation, performance, drawing, photography, and video.
• Raphael Cuir is a critic and art historian, president of AICA France and vice-president of AICA International.
• Nupur's recent solo shows include 'Breakfast News' at Alliance Française in Dhaka and Chittagong (2006) and a show at IBL Gallery in Port-Louis, Mauritius (2011).
• Group shows include the 4th Cairo Video Festival (2010), VM Gallery in Pakistan (2011), Kunstvlaai Festival of Independents in Amsterdam (2012), 15th Asian Art Biennale in Bangladesh (2012), and Dhaka Art Summit (2012).