A SHARED CONDITION

The impact of crowding is immediately felt in Mubtasim Alvee’s language of expression. It makes his current series look as if it has been part of a huge mural laden with semi-abstract textual and representative elements, echoing the bustling city of Dhaka. It is no wonder that Alvee has produced an acrylic on canvas that goes by the title '36 No. Bus'. It clearly suggests that for his art he has mapped out a unique itinerary after locating an alternative point of origin.

A bus full of commuters is not merely an image in Alvee’s realm – it is like an orchestral procedure that has already acquired a transcendent status. He too evinces his acumen in creating his own visual orchestra.

What has set the gallery space alight is not only overlapping brushworks or vivid colours. He has freights that are morphologically beholden to the reality he has ‘felt’ – in every acreage of his canvases the aftershock of the recent historic tremors are still beating like an infallible heart. For the first time, on the occasion of his first solo exhibition, which he meritoriously named ‘A Shared Condition’, he has scripted a story in the calligraphic mode.

___ Mustafa Zaman, Artist, Art critic, and Curator

What struck me most when encountering these works was their quiet insistence that none of us exists in isolation. We often think of our emotions and inner lives as deeply personal, yet this exhibition gently reminds us how much they are shaped by the worlds we inhabit—by memory, by history, and by the people around us. There is something both intimate and collective in the way Alvee allows his images to emerge, as if they are being discovered rather than constructed.

The fluid, shifting figures within the works feel familiar, yet never fixed. They seem to echo the way identity itself is always in motion—formed and reformed through experience. In this, I find the exhibition both deeply reflective and profoundly human. There is a distinct sense of controlled chaos in the works, where energy and restraint meet. The compositions feel spontaneous yet remain composed and balanced. A clear influence of graffiti appears in the dynamic lines and layered textures, adding a raw, urban character.

I am particularly moved by how this project opens itself to others. While it begins as a “solo” exhibition, it grows into a shared space—bringing together voices, practices, and audiences through its collaborative programmes. This spirit of openness and exchange is something we value deeply at Alliance Française de Dhaka, where art is not only to be viewed, but to be experienced, discussed, and lived. Indeed, Alliance Française has been promoting shared values around the world for more than 140 years, in over 135 countries: language, art, diversity and freedom.

My sincere thanks go to the artist, the curator, and all the collaborators and partners whose contributions have made this exhibition possible. Their collective energy is truly at the heart of this project.

___ François Chambraud, Director, Alliance Française de Dhaka

𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝟰:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'Aesthetic communication vis-à-vis communication as aesthetics: In which language does Artist Mubtasim Alvee speak?' by Bhabachakra The panel discussion, multipolar in nature, is an attempt to look for a framework of interaction with what is identified as a work of art. Does experientiality precede rational comprehensibility, or does cognition guide experience? In doing so, the solo exhibition of Mubtasim Alvee, titled “The Shared Condition”, becomes a site of engagement, and his artworks function as tools through which the nature of communication among the art, the artist, and the viewer may be explored and interrogated.In this process of collective brainstorming, the goal is to arrive at a space beyond the painting, beyond music, and beyond the medium itself where meaning is neither fixed nor singular, but negotiated through perception, rationalization, memory, and affect. 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 by Siliconinja -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟬 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽: Street Funk- Graffiti by Syllabaad Collective and Street Spirits 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ Street Funk is a hands-on graffiti workshop that brings street culture into a gallery environment. Participants will explore the history of graffiti, lettering, style development, and spray painting techniques, guiding them through the creative process from sketch to final piece. During the Auditorium session, participants will learn the fundamentals of graffiti and develop sketches on paper. In the outdoor session, they will use spray paint on a shared canvas and collaborate to create a final artwork. -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Delupi by Footprint Film Production 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ 𝟭𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Delupi by Footprint Film Production 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/

𝗗𝗘𝗟𝗨𝗣𝗜 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝟭 𝗵𝗿 𝟰𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻 After a major political shift and a destructive flood, a rural Bangladeshi village becomes the battleground for survival, love and resilience. Partha, the son of Jatrapala performers, watches his family’s world fall apart as the community fights to rebuild. His quiet love with Nupur offers hope, but their future is threatened when Zakir, a power-driven opposition leader, returns with false promises of a dam. Mihir, a young activist, challenges him, pushing the village toward real change. As tensions rise and everything starts to change, one question remains: will the new generation take control of their future, or let it slip away again?

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲: Cast: Chiranjit Biswas, Aditi Roy, Rudra Roy, Md Zakir Hossain Director, Producer, Screenwriter & Cinematographer: Mohammad Touqir Islam Screenwriter, Executive Producer & Art Director: Amit Rudra Technical Co-ordinator & Asst. Cinematographer: Tanvir Islam Limon Sync Sound Recordist: Sondip Das Niloy Line Producer: Mushfiqur Rahman Tamal Edit: Saleh Sobhan Auneem Colorist: Ummid Ashraf Sound: Rajesh Saha, Sajib Ranjan Biswas, Rasheed Sharif Shoaib Music: Tapesh Chakraborty Poster: Mubtasim Alvee -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽: Rhythm & Interaction: Language of Music by Syllabaad Collective 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ In the context of a shared creative space where artistic expression emerges from collective influence, this workshop explores rhythm not just as a musical element, but as a way of perceiving and communicating within the language of rhythm in a musical space. This workshop shifts attention toward perception—how we listen, interpret, and engage with rhythm in real time. It challenges the idea of passive listening and encourages participants to develop a more intentional and aware relationship with music. Through guided listening, demonstration, and interactive exercises, participants will learn to:

•⁠ ⁠Identify and understand the foundational elements of rhythm such as tempo, meter, and subdivision •⁠ ⁠Recognize patterns, accents, and structures within music •⁠ ⁠Develop the ability to “find the pulse” and follow rhythmic movement •⁠ ⁠Experience music from the perspective of a drummer or rhythm-focused musician -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟰 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'The Autonomous Nexus of Art Across Forms and Mediums' by Bhabachakra Beyond the role of the artist as creator and source of meaning, the work of art enters the world of meaning through its relationship with other works of art to the point that the entire process may even become autonomous. In this perspective, once an artwork exists, it enters a kind of ongoing conversation with other artworks, traditions, and interpretations, sometimes independent of what the artist intended. This is where Mubtasim Alvee, from the sole epistemic authority of his artwork, steps into the intertextual terrain of A Shared Condition, both shaping his first solo exhibition and being shaped by the collective. The panel discussion titled “The Autonomous Nexus of Art Across Forms and Mediums” is an attempt to unveil the role and potential of the network of objects that make his artwork ‘possible’. In this process, Jaheen Faruque Amin delves into the historical and intersectional development of the meaning of visual art, from camera obscura to the Cinematic. Marium Rupa explores and expresses her perspective on art as a process of embodied experience, within which the work of art is born out of and serves as an expression of the body. Faysal Zaman takes us on a polyphonic and dialogical conceptual journey through the lens of Donna Haraway’s notion of “situated knowledge.” -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁: 'একাকীত্বের যৌথতা : Together in Fragments', Directed by Shanaj Parvin Jonaki Created in response to A Shared Condition, this post-dramatic performance explores how individual experiences gradually transform into collective presence. Inspired by the crowded energy, layered figures, and emotional rhythms within Mubtasim Alvee’s paintings, the work investigates the invisible connections that emerge between people sharing the same space.

Developed through collaborative workshops using movement exercises, Viewpoints practice, theatre games, and psychological gesture, the performance relies on rhythm, repetition, and bodily interaction rather than linear storytelling. Performers begin scattered and isolated, slowly moving toward moments of synchronicity and shared movement.

Presented across both gallery and public spaces, A Shared Connection blurs the boundaries between separation and togetherness. Through fragmented yet interconnected actions, the piece invites audiences to sense how emotions, gestures, and bodies can unexpectedly align within a crowd, revealing the quiet possibility of collective existence. Directed by Shanaj Parvin Jonaki Sound & Music Design by Aniruddha Anu Artists: ⁠Aria Apsory, ⁠Faiza Chowdhury, ⁠Fatema Farzana Meem, ⁠Israt Jahan Ikra, Liya Moni, ⁠Nabila Jemyma Jalil, ⁠Preyonti Amin Piu, ⁠Rabi Prarombho, ⁠Rafiha Islam, ⁠Rawaha Meherose Shekha, ⁠Sifat Nowrin Bonni -------------------------------------- 𝟭𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮y - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'In the End It Doesn’t Even Matter or In My End is My Beginning'. Conducted by: Sardar Zahid 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁, arranged by Syllabaad Collective 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 Bhabachakra, Syllabaad Collective, Charukola Animation Society, Dhaka Comics, Cartoon People, Tickify, Elaka Studios Ltd., Footprint Film Production, Street Spirits, Siliconinja.