Tayeba Begum Lipi
Sundaram Tagore presents the first New York solo exhibition of work by Tayeba Begum Lipi, one of Bangladesh鈥檚 foremost contemporary artists. This exhibition, which includes installations, paintings and sculpture, showcases the Dhaka-based artist鈥檚 innovative use of materials.
Lipi鈥檚 paintings, prints, videos and installations articulate themes of female marginality and focus on the female body. She is best known for her sculptural works, which re-create everyday objects of domesticity, including bathtubs, strollers, wheelchairs, dressing tables and women鈥檚 undergarments, made from safety pins and razor blades. The provocative and visually compelling choice of materials speaks to the violence facing women in Bangladesh, as well as references tools used in childbirth in the more underdeveloped parts of the country.
Lipi鈥檚 artistic practice is rooted in her experiences growing up in Gaibandha, a small town in Bangladesh. The eleventh of twelve children, she was often present for the home births of nieces and nephews delivered with the help of a local village woman and a razor blade. This visceral memory鈥攖he sound of the blade rolling in boiling water and the glint of the sharpened edge鈥攅ventually translated into a powerful symbol that plays a recurring role in her work. Although she previously used readymade blades, the artist now has them custom manufactured in gleaming stainless steel, which allows her latitude to create different sized works.
With I Do Not Wear This, a set of three life-size bikinis fabricated from the custom blades, Lipi questions how the perception of women鈥檚 bodies plays into the societal structures that dominate their lives. In contrast to the soft, touchable materials usually associated with women鈥檚 apparel, the metal structure suggests a protective layer of armor for the wearer, while the intrinsic allure of the garment remains undiminished by the steely composite.
Lipi鈥檚 choice of medium is not confined to razor blades, however, nor does she only focus on the subjection of women. We Can鈥檛 Be the Same, a wall-mounted installation comprising five wigs made from stands of copper wire, gives voice to the fear and isolation experienced by the transgender community in Dhaka.
Sundaram Tagore presents the first New York solo exhibition of work by Tayeba Begum Lipi, one of Bangladesh鈥檚 foremost contemporary artists. This exhibition, which includes installations, paintings and sculpture, showcases the Dhaka-based artist鈥檚 innovative use of materials.
Lipi鈥檚 paintings, prints, videos and installations articulate themes of female marginality and focus on the female body. She is best known for her sculptural works, which re-create everyday objects of domesticity, including bathtubs, strollers, wheelchairs, dressing tables and women鈥檚 undergarments, made from safety pins and razor blades. The provocative and visually compelling choice of materials speaks to the violence facing women in Bangladesh, as well as references tools used in childbirth in the more underdeveloped parts of the country.
Lipi鈥檚 artistic practice is rooted in her experiences growing up in Gaibandha, a small town in Bangladesh. The eleventh of twelve children, she was often present for the home births of nieces and nephews delivered with the help of a local village woman and a razor blade. This visceral memory鈥攖he sound of the blade rolling in boiling water and the glint of the sharpened edge鈥攅ventually translated into a powerful symbol that plays a recurring role in her work. Although she previously used readymade blades, the artist now has them custom manufactured in gleaming stainless steel, which allows her latitude to create different sized works.
With I Do Not Wear This, a set of three life-size bikinis fabricated from the custom blades, Lipi questions how the perception of women鈥檚 bodies plays into the societal structures that dominate their lives. In contrast to the soft, touchable materials usually associated with women鈥檚 apparel, the metal structure suggests a protective layer of armor for the wearer, while the intrinsic allure of the garment remains undiminished by the steely composite.
Lipi鈥檚 choice of medium is not confined to razor blades, however, nor does she only focus on the subjection of women. We Can鈥檛 Be the Same, a wall-mounted installation comprising five wigs made from stands of copper wire, gives voice to the fear and isolation experienced by the transgender community in Dhaka.
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