A SHARED CONDITION by Mubtasim Alvee

“A Shared Condition explores the territory in-between the personal and the collective, questioning the idea that emotional and psychological states belong solely to the individual.”

Alliance Française de Dhaka

Dhanmondi, Dhaka

8 - 16 May, 2026

Organised by

ARTCON and Alliance Française de Dhaka

A Shared Condition is the first solo exhibition and collective by Dhaka-based multidisciplinary artist Mubtasim Alvee at Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi from 8–16 May 2026. The exhibition features over 100 works created between 2024–2026, spanning acrylic, spray, pastel, print, and digital media.

Rooted in abstraction and perception, the exhibition explores how emotional and psychological states are shaped by collective systems rather than isolated individual experience. Through a process-based approach informed by Pareidolia, Alvee’s works reveal figures and meanings emerging from abstraction, reflecting memory, identity, and layered human experience.

A Shared Condition expands beyond a conventional painting exhibition through a series of collaborative programmes including panel discussions, workshops, screenings, theatre, music, and interactive audio-visual sessions. The project reframes the “solo exhibition” as a shared space of dialogue, participation, and collective becoming, positioning art as an ongoing social process rather than a fixed object.

“What appears as an individual struggle begins to reveal itself as part of a broader, shared experience.”

Mubtasim Alvee

b. 2001

Mubtasim Alvee (b. 2021) is a multi-disciplinary artist, animator, and activist based in Dhaka. Currently pursuing his MFA in Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University. His practice is rooted in abstraction and perception, driven by a belief in possibility and the potential for change. His work engages with open-ended visual ideas that reflect not only personal exploration but also a broader commitment to social and collective transformation. In his early years, alongside his studio practice, he volunteered, engaging with collaborative cultural platforms and remaining closely connected to music and interdisciplinary practices, reflecting an interest in shared experiences across media. He is the founder of Syllaবাদ(Syllabaad), an organisation that critically engages with pedagogical infrastructures, approaching art and education as collective and collaborative processes. He also founded the Charukola Animation Society, a space dedicated to learning, experimentation, and exchange within animation practices. Alvee and his works are connected to interdisciplinary and collective practices, extending beyond individual expression toward building shared cultural and creative environments. Alvee emphasised creating interactive experiences and fostering artistic dialogues among peers. The works emerge from a process-driven practice rooted in Pareidolia, the human tendency to perceive figures and meaning within abstraction. Through this method, forms are not imposed but discovered, allowing images to surface from within chaos, much like memory, identity, and emotion.

Concept Note

'A Shared Condition' explores the territory in between the personal and the collective, questioning the idea that emotional and psychological states belong solely to the individual.

The works emerge from a process-driven practice rooted in Pareidolia, the human tendency to perceive figures and meaning within abstraction. Through this method, forms are not imposed but discovered, allowing images to surface from within chaos, much like memory, identity, and emotion.

The exhibition approaches the psyche as something socially produced rather than privately owned. Experiences often labelled as instability, disorder, or fragmentation are reconsidered as responses shaped by larger systems like historical, political, and cultural events.

In this sense, the "condition" is not singular. It is distributed across bodies, inherited through time, and reinforced through structures that remain largely invisible yet deeply internalized with its surroundings. The works hold multiple moments in layers. Childhood, adolescence, and the present coexist within the same visual field.

These layers resist linear narratives, reflecting how memory operates: unstable, recursive, and constantly rewriting itself. The figures that emerge are often incomplete, shifting, or ambiguous, mirroring a self that is never fixed but continuously formed through interaction.

Within a post-colonial context, the exhibition considers how histories of division, control, and imposed identity continue to shape internal landscapes. The body becomes a site where these forces accumulate, where personal distress intersects with collective histories. What appears as an individual struggle begins to reveal itself as part of a broader, shared experience.

“There is something both intimate and collective in the way Alvee allows his images to emerge, as if they are being discovered rather than constructed.”

Message

François Chambraud

What struck me most when encountering these works was their quiet insistence that none of us exists in isolation. We often think of our emotions and inner lives as deeply personal, yet this exhibition gently reminds us how much they are shaped by the worlds we inhabit—by memory, by history, and by the people around us. There is something both intimate and collective in the way Alvee allows his images to emerge, as if they are being discovered rather than constructed.

The fluid, shifting figures within the works feel familiar, yet never fixed. They seem to echo the way identity itself is always in motion—formed and reformed through experience. In this, I find the exhibition both deeply reflective and profoundly human. There is a distinct sense of controlled chaos in the works, where energy and restraint meet. The compositions feel spontaneous yet remain composed and balanced. A clear influence of graffiti appears in the dynamic lines and layered textures, adding a raw, urban character.

I am particularly moved by how this project opens itself to others. While it begins as a “solo” exhibition, it grows into a shared space—bringing together voices, practices, and audiences through its collaborative programmes. This spirit of openness and exchange is something we value deeply at Alliance Française de Dhaka, where art is not only to be viewed, but to be experienced, discussed, and lived. Indeed, Alliance Française has been promoting shared values around the world for more than 140 years, in over 135 countries: language, art, diversity and freedom.

My sincere thanks go to the artist, the curator, and all the collaborators and partners whose contributions have made this exhibition possible. Their collective energy is truly at the heart of this project.

___ François Chambraud, Director, Alliance Française de Dhaka

COLLECTIVE PROGRAMMES

A Shared Condition

𝟵 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝟰:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'Aesthetic communication vis-à-vis communication as aesthetics: In which language does Artist Mubtasim Alvee speak?' by Bhabachakra 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗩𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗮𝗹 by Siliconinja 𝟭𝟬 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽: Street Funk- Graffiti by Syllabaad Collective and Street Spirits 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ 𝟭𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Delupi by Footprint Film Production 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ 𝟭𝟮 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗠𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴: Delupi by Footprint Film Production 𝗧𝗶𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ 𝟭𝟯 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗽: Rhythm & Interaction: Language of Music by Syllabaad Collective 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸: https://tickify.live/event/a-shared-condition/ 𝟭𝟰 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘂𝗺 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'The Autonomous Nexus of Art Across Forms and Mediums' by Bhabachakra 𝟭𝟱 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗿𝘁, Led by Shanaj Parvin Jonaki 𝟭𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮y - 𝗟𝗮 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝟱:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: 'In the End It Doesn’t Even Matter or In My End is My Beginning'. Conducted by: Sardar Zahid 𝟲:𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗺 - 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁, arranged by Syllabaad Collective 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 Bhabachakra, Syllabaad Collective, Charukola Animation Society, Dhaka Comics, Cartoon People, Tickify, Elaka Studios Ltd., Footprint Film Production, Street Spirits, Siliconinja.