Bishwajit Goswami represented by Brihatta Art Foundation

Bishwajit Goswami, Baithak, 2025 Scraps leather and Murta plant strips

Bishwajit Goswami’s ongoing project, হাজারীবাগ / Hazaribagh (A Thousand Gardens), explores memory, transformation, and the reclamation of his rural roots within an urban landscape shaped by industrialization and migration. Goswami views Hazaribagh as a metaphoric space where life’s essence can emerge from decay. Through collaboration and dialogue with local communities, he traces the shifting contours of this contested area, revealing humanity’s capacity for renewal.

বৈঠক / Baithak—a gathering space for artistic, intellectual, and social exchange. 

Over the years, Brihatta has invited dialogue between people, objects, and self. Visitors are invited to sit on a shitalpati, sharing conversation,  weaving together memories that emerge from the collective presence of the space. 

শীতলপাটি / Shitalpati is the traditional art of making handcrafted mats by weaving together strips of a green cane known as murta. These mats  are used across Bangladesh as sitting mats, bedspreads, or prayer mats. The main bearers and practitioners of this craft are weavers living mostly  in the low-lying villages of the greater Sylhet region, although pockets of shitalpati weavers exist in other parts of the country. 

Shitalpati weaving is not only a major source of livelihood but also a strong marker of cultural identity. Primarily a family-based craft, it reinforces  family bonds and fosters a harmonious social atmosphere. 

ঝালর / Jhalor, is a decorative fringe used in Bangladeshi rituals to adorn sacred spaces and ceremonial textiles, symbolizing auspiciousness and  cultural reverence. By marking a defined area, it creates a visual and spatial boundary, emphasizing that the conversation or gathering beneath it is  intentional and significant. 

The Jhalor has been created by hand at Brihatta art Space, Hazaribagh, by Artist Bishwajit Goswami. The Shitalpati has been woven by  Artisans-in-residence Horendro Kumar Das, Gobinda Kumar Das and Shottendro Kumar Das, under the creative direction of Bishwajit Goswami.

Brihatta Art Foundation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is an artist-led platform that embraces creativity as a fluid, transformative force. Through residencies, exhibitions, and community engagement, it fosters inclusive dialogue, collaboration, and continuous learning. Rooted in the belief that art should be accessible and evolving, Brihatta connects diverse voices across borders, nurturing a dynamic and compassionate creative ecosystem.

brihattaartfoundation.com
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