Munem Wasif's works were shown extensively across three venues: The Fagor Factory, Guimet Museum, and the Musée d’art contemporain de Lyon at the 16th Biennale de Lyon.

Mostly comprising photographs, videos and sound installations, Munem Wasif’s oeuvre reflects a long-term engagement with the places and stories of his home country. The Machine Matter installation evokes the demise of the jute industry in Bangladesh following the transfer of power in

East Bengal to Pakistan after the Partition of India in 1947, the widespread use of artificial materials, and the container and cargo-ship boom. Alternating long shots and close-ups, Wasif moves through an abandoned jute factory, amid immobile people. The echo of birdsong, the drip-drip of water and the rays of sunshine create an illusory sense of life in a space reduced to silence. The weight of memories, machinery and bodies underscores the fragility of the economy in post-colonial Bangladesh.

The exhibition is supported by the Samdani Art Foundation & Project 88.

Image courtesy Munem Wasif