contact.laisulhoque@gmail.com
An Ode to All the Flavours
2023
The Purpose was to Document the Other Side
2024
I don’t Call Enough But I’m Here Now
2022
I Wish I Could Tell You Exactly How I Feel
Education
Philosophies, Central Saint Martins, UAL, London
Awards
Exhibitions and Screenings
(* indicates solo)(30th January - 13th April)
(as part of CIRCA Prize)
Press/Reviews
The Daily Star (BD) by Tasrifa Trisha
Writing
Talks/Panels
(video link)
An Ode to All the Flavours, Whitechapel Gallery
wood, glass, mirrors, low-EMF sodium-inspired lights, artist’s father’s favourite childhood snack, simulated sodium lighting through video projection, brown noise
Press
The White Pube
SHOWstudio
The Business Standard
Audiences are invited to taste this memory that sits in silence, in place of the lack of emotive expressions and communication in hegemonic masculinity and artist’s own experience of paternal love—emotions expressed through actions and gestures, through expressions that are non-verbal.
As far as memory recalls, moments of my father showing his emotional side to me are scant. Our interactions typically consist of my mother sporadically passing the phone to my father during our FaceTime calls. He inquires about my well-being, and expresses concerns about my life choices, instilling more anxiety and existential dread in me. The conversation often takes a turn into ridiculing questions about the length of my hair or the presence of facial hair, delivered with a steady tone of disappointment. In response, I either lack a satisfying answer or offer silence. The interaction usually concludes with him saying, "Alright, talk to your mother," before handing the phone back to her. These exchanges oscillate between silence and heated arguments in defence of my agency and autonomy.
However, there is a memory from my childhood that stands out. During a visit to our grandparents, my father decided to take me on a walk through the village market, offering a glimpse into his upbringing. He led me to a sodium-lit sweet shop and proposed trying his favourite childhood snack: Jhuri Bundiya. This unfamiliar treat combined two separate snacks—Jhuri, fried gram flour flakes seasoned in spices and Boondi, small balls of fried chickpea flour soaked in sugar syrup. It was a revelation—a snack simultaneously salty, savoury, spicy, and sweet. I didn't know such flavour combinations were allowed.
As we walked back, I held his hand, overwhelmed with gratitude for letting me experience that part of his childhood. Much like the flavours, I imagined that his childhood must have been complex. But much like him, I didn’t express anything. The thought of being emotional with him scared me, partly because I was too young, and mostly because articulating these emotions felt too complicated.
The image of nostalgic yellow light, the sensation of experiencing new flavours for the first time, and his smile remain vivid in the back of my mind. It was an offering from him to me, an image I visualized as paternal love. An experience I wish others could savour.
Throughout my upbringing, the statements I heard the most were: “Don’t stray from norms and traditions,” “always try to fit in,” and ”what will people say?' The person I heard this from the most was my father. Yet, his favourite childhood snack is something unconventional.
In the aura surrounding this work are silent conversations on paternal love, patriarchy’s effect on contemporary masculinity, queer materialism and scope for newness in conservative cultures, and nonverbal ways of expressing love.
The event was held in partnership with Oitij-jo, with food provided by Oitij-jo Kitchen and support from the Mubarak Ali Foundation.
An Ode to All the Flavours, Kobi Nazrul Centre
wood, glass, mirrors, low-EMF sodium-inspired lights, artist’s father’s favourite childhood snack
The photos above are from the exhibition that was held at Kobi Nazrul Centre, from 7th to 11th of August 2024, as part of South Asian Heritage Month.
Tower Hamlets Council
South Asian Heritage Month UK
Brady Arts Centre
Tamarind Theatre Co.
Oitij-jo
Oitij-jo Kitchen