Personal memories, questions of identity and a lifelong search for belonging have shaped the artistic journey of Tayeba Begum Lipi, who revisited the experiences behind her work at the 13th session of Cosmos Art Echo in Dhaka on Friday.

Titled 'Being & Belonging', the art talk was organised by Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier-71 at Cosmos Centre, bringing together artists, diplomats and members of the cultural community to hear Lipi reflect on how childhood, travel, relationships and personal struggles have influenced her practice.

Enayetullah Khan, Chairman of Cosmos Foundation and Editor Emeritus of United News of Bangladesh (UNB); Catherine Grace Gardner Khan, Creative Artistic Director of Cosmos Global Resources; and prominent artist Mahbubur Rahman, Lipi’s husband and Co-Founder of Britto Arts Trust, attended the event.

The packed evening audience also included Mahfuzur Rahman, speechwriter to the Prime Minister, alongside diplomats, artists, art enthusiasts and other members of the cultural community.

Lipi began by recalling how her elder brother, AKM Maynul Islam Paul, currently a Professor at Rajshahi University, encouraged her to study at the Institute of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, although she had initially been reluctant. Having attended different schools in Rajshahi before completing her higher secondary education in Gaibandha, she eventually discovered a sense of freedom at the institute.

Her early years at the institute took her beyond the classroom through art tours to Kathmandu, Jaflong and the Sundarbans. During one trip, the group encountered robbers while seeking permission to enter the forest but continued with its plans. Her artistic journey later crossed borders, including a residency at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in 2000, a project on indigo cultivation at Gasworks in London in 2005, and research on political prisoners on Taiwan’s Green Island in 2007.

Reflecting on the restless creativity of those years, she said, “We never really sat idle; we were always doing something.”

Lipi’s work gradually incorporated objects carrying personal and emotional significance, including her grandfather’s gramophone, her mother’s dressing table and wheelchair, and a steel suitcase associated with her wedding. She also discussed her use of metal objects, including razor blades and safety pins, to express her artistic vision.

She spoke about how her practice evolved through performance and large-scale works, including pieces created during the Covid period. Her artistic journey, however, was interrupted by serious health challenges.

“After Covid, I had a lung infection and I suffered a stroke. Towards the end of 2023, I was diagnosed with cancer. I am now well, and I am on medication,” Lipi said.

Reflecting on her life with Mahbubur, whom she met while studying Fine Arts, Lipi described a relationship rooted in companionship rather than conventional marital expectations. The couple preserved many belongings of writer Shawkat Osman after moving into their present home, which they were able to occupy through his connection.

“Looking back, I feel that my relationship with Mahbub is essentially a friendship. Friendship has always been the biggest part of our relationship. We are still much like friends. Being able to come this far together is a great achievement,” she said.

Concluding her talk, Lipi invited the audience to visit her next exhibition, which she said would be held at Bengal Gallery in 2027.

In his concluding remarks, Khan thanked Lipi and the audience, describing art as a way to bring people together amid the pressures of modern life. Recalling his lifelong interest in collecting artworks and his friendships with artists, he said art offered a world beyond material concerns.

“Art is everything. Art is conversation,” he said, stressing that artistic expression extended beyond physical artworks to the ways people communicate and share ideas.

Khan also highlighted the potential of art to confront social problems, particularly corruption, which he said had become normalised. Referring to earlier initiatives such as Art Against Genocide, Art Against Fake News and Art Against Terrorism, he expressed his intention to organise an event titled “Art Against Corruption” in the future.

“I wondered as a child what people who took bribes looked like, but now the question seems to be what people who don’t take bribes look like,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Khan expressed faith in people who uphold their values and support one another. He said artists like Lipi could help society become more sensitive and aware by encouraging people to see familiar realities differently.

Cosmos Art Echo, launched under the Atelier71 Membership Programme, brings together artists and audiences through talks, workshops, art camps, film screenings and other cultural activities.