Britto Arts Trust

Rasad 2024 is an installation inspired by the architecture of Bangladeshi markets. Constructed from recycled local materials, the work takes the form of a small bazaar with corrugated metal walls, slanted roofs and shutters. Displayed inside each stall are handmade replica foods, crafted from metal, ceramic and fabric. Some of the bowls contain real spices and pulses.

Britto Arts Trust writes: ‘Beautification of food, giving each product an ideal shape, size or colour has become the most vital part of our food culture.’ Objects in the installation include slogans that critique the use of genetically modified organisms (GMO). Cartons are made from razors, Coca-Cola bottles are in the shape of bombs, and fish are changed into hybrid fish-guns.

In Bengali, rasad means food, but it also suggests nourishment in a broader sense: the sustaining force of knowledge, memory and creative exchange. The sculptures were developed through workshops with younger artists, visits to food and fish markets, and group pottery-making sessions. Through a collective process of discussion and creation, Rasad considers how globalised food economies impact communities, labour and natural resources in Bangladesh and beyond.

Founded in Dhaka in 2002, Britto Arts Trust is an artist-run collective committed to exploring the social, political and cultural realities of contemporary Bangladesh through collaborative artistic practice.