Leelaparab-1 is an exhibition by two young artists whose presence in the contemporary art scene begs the question, what is it that makes today’s art so different from that of its previous generation. The idea of sangsrob or intermingling had rarely been taken as seriously as is the case with today’s crossmedia artists. 

Sangsrob, a Bangla word that connotes a kind of proximity where two or more forces can easily become one, has served as a point of departure for many. And these two young experimentalists too are no exceptions.

Syed Muhammad Zakir and Emran Sohel are in fact committed to a practice where borders between art-life, subject-object and mediums as well as human and organic forms are no longer valid. If they have traversed a wide area of interests, they have done so with the hope of creating new thresholds through which to gaze at old things, to renew our vision and to rethink our position.

Their fluid practice affords a form of sangsrob that has given rise to performances, installations and even images and objects over the last five to ten years. Leelaparab-1 will be way to assemble some glimpses of the achievements of these two young artists.

– MUSTAFA ZAMAN