The Reassuring Hand Gestures of Big Men, Small Men, All Men – Bani Abidi

Bani Abidi works across video, photography and drawing to examine the fragile construction of the nation-state and the everyday rituals through which power performs itself. Drawing on lived experience and themes of nationhood, borders, memory and displacement, she uses humour, irony and questioning to reveal how authority, nationalism and masculinity become habits. Her practice proposes an ethics of looking: exposing the absurdity and violence of political spectacle, and the ways it divides people psychologically and geographically. Abidi invites us into the unstable border between laughter and unease, asking us to unsettle fixed ideas of belonging and remain alert to the illusions shaping our world.

Looking forward to having @bani_abidi join us at Chobi Mela XI!

This show will be showcased at Alliance Française de Dhaka (La Galerie) from 11 AM onwards, starting 16th January 2026.
@chobimela