In No One Home, Tayeba Begum Lipi continues her long-standing exploration of issues related to femininity. The exhibition presents a series of objects of women daily life made of safety pins and stainless steel razor blades - a pair of heeled shoes, a few hand bags, a sewing machine, a bathtub... In the vastness of the gallery space, these personal objects create a feeling of hollow intimacy for their owner is nowhere to be seen. The viewer is left with the strange impression of peering through an empty apartment: the lights are on, but there is no one home.
The exhibition also proposes a different take on Tayeba Begum Lipi's artistic research. A series of candid pencil drawings representing skin and hairs under various forms alludes to the aging process and its physical consequences on the body. These poignant works deal with womanhood, transition and ultimately with mortality; issues that are both very personal and of universal concern. The vicissitudes of time are further explored in a 2-channel video in which the artist is seen cleaning up her ancestors' graveyard on the family property. The work delves on the tension between what is and what was, and invites to introspection.
Bengal Art Lounge, Dhaka