29. Mar. - 5. Apr. 2020 Dhaka BGD

show.Rooms_global was dedicated to a global dialogue on Rohingya Refugees and was realized in Bangladesh and Austria.

show.Rooms_global took place as the research project Mapping the Unseen 2020 in Bangladesh and Austria. The connection to Dhakar was established by the guide Haddiuzzaman Syed, as he lived and worked in both Dhakar and Villach. Haddiuzzaman suggested the artist Ebadur Rahman as a cooperation partner, who defined the marginalized topic of Rohingya Refugees and called the event "10 days that shook the world": "[...] the most striking claim of 10 days that shook the world is to create a performative architecture to create a temporary autonomous zone that is shaped for community interaction and radical hospitality: Namely, to cook and share meals together, to teach, to read, to make and watch movies, to make music and to sleep. [...]." (Statement by Ebadur Rahman) Subsequently, he curated a 1-week program in various vacant spaces in Dhakar as well as in a rented bus. Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the events could not be held as planned. Some contacts and interventions were limited and an interactive homepage with materials was created.

People and program:
Ebadur Rahmna, Shalahuddin Helaly, Tanvir Ahmed Chowdhury, Tahera Tabassum, Afsana Latif, Shafiqul Kabir Chandan, Proshoon Rahmaan, Ahmed Hasan Sunny, Avi Shankar Ain, Rajib Datta, Mahia Rahman, Novera Hasan Nikkon, Ronni Ahmmed and Naw Naw.
Katrin Ackerl Konstantin, Andreas Hudelist, Martina Ukowitz, Rosalia Kopeinig, Regina Klein (researchers Mapping the Unseen)

Realized parts of the intervention as described by parts of  the report by the artist:
"The lockdown, in Bangladesh, started around 23^rd/24^th March. We were still working. But, the lockdown got stricter around 1^st/ and 2^nd  April. ... From mid-April to October, I changed my strategy and started to work with people one-on-one to continue with the show since all airports were closed and I was stuck in Dhaka. ... I met artists one-on-one and started doing work and I was recording them in the process of work. Sometime we met at public places; sometime on the street once the curfew is withdrawn; ... I had hired a Rohingya cook and had him come to Dhaka for the catering of the exhibition. Due to the lockdown, he could not return to Chittagong and was with me until the end of May and was a huge help; I don’t think, without him I could organize anything as internet was often not working and it was my Rohingya cook who will carry the footage and photos etc. to the editors, the web designers etc. ... Anyways, one on one encounters and visiting different places with artists and once the roads open visiting Chittagong etc. produced materials and all through this period, I had been documenting and writing; since the July, I started putting some of the materials in the website.... I could not go to the real refugee camps as I could do in the December 2019, but, in the May-October 2020, I visited many houses and shacks of Rohingyas who are living outside the camps, in Moheshkhali, Cox’s Bazaar and Chittagong and have many conversations and shared many meals with them which we cooked together.“

After the series of events, the project was invited to Austria.

This show.Rooms_global project with the research title “Mapping the Unseen” was funded by: FWF Austrian Science Fund (AR 444-GBL), KWF Carinthian Economic Promotion Fund, Land Carinthia.

Supported and hosted by University Klagenfurt.

show.Rooms_global is an intervention in a vacancy of a city on a marginalized topic. The invited artists or artist group determine the topic. After the realization, the project is invited to Austria.

More information about show.Rooms_global is available here.