Faculty of Art

Drawing and Painting

Rehana Yesmin

01 Woven in the Air

Woven in the Air is an installation that reflects on the loss of Dhaka muslin and the impact of colonial intervention on textile history in Bangladesh. The work explores themes of disappearance, control, and cultural erasure through material and spatial composition. A defined frame creates an enclosed structure where paintings are partially veiled with translucent fabric, suggesting both preservation and obscurity. Within this space, two paintings extend the narrative. One represents the weaver, acknowledging the farmers and artisans who endured systemic violence and loss. The other focuses on the thread count of Dhaka muslin, referencing the lost knowledge of weaving up to 1200 thread count now existing as historical memory.A Bengali lullaby inscribed on the wall “খোকা ঘুমালো পাড়া জুড়ালো বর্গী এলো দেশে” translate to “the child slept, the community was at peace, then the invaders arrived” marks the beginning of disruption, situating colonial violence within cultural memory and tradition.Material choices reinforce these themes. The use of white fabric evokes a space of mourning for the lost textile and its knowledge, while also referencing the delicacy of muslin itself. Layered materials, including handloom and machine-made textiles, reflect the shift from traditional weaving practices to industrial production. Jute fabric connects to the economic and physical conditions imposed on farmers and weavers. Red threads and light placed behind the structure suggest the violence embedded within this history, drawing attention to systems of control over production. Through subtle visual elements such as text, thread, and light, the installation creates a tension between visibility and absence. Woven in the Air moves between material presence and disappearance, inviting reflection on a cultural heritage that has been transformed, fragmented, and carried forward as memory.