Nazia ‘the creator’ Preema

As Nazia Andaleeb Preema greeted me at the door of her studio, I couldn't help but compliment the decor, implying that the interior does look like a place that belongs to a visual artist. But a discontent smirk from Preema made me realise I had made an error in judgement.

With quite the conviction, she clarified, "I prefer to be known as a creator. A creator has no limits, no borders." For her, the label 'just an artist' felt confining—a restrictive box that couldn't fully capture the volume of her work.

It was at that point that I realised that to fully grasp her body of artistic work (and a hundred other things if you take her resume into account), it's equally important to understand who she is as a person. 

And let me tell you, as someone who's had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of accomplished professionals in my line of work, Preema isn't an easy character to decipher; she is quite a piece of work. 

Preema has dedicated more than 25 years to art. Her portfolio extends far beyond solo and group exhibitions—though she has over 20 solo shows to her name. Her work has travelled internationally, reaching audiences across continents with around 30 performances in diverse settings, whether in Asia, Europe, or the streets of Dhaka. 

Beyond performing just as an artist, she takes on roles as a keynote speaker, jury member, curator, and more, all of which bear testament to her versatility as a professional.

On 3 November, Preema will be flying to South Korea for the inauguration of the 10th Geoje International Art Festival in the Haegeumgang Theme Museum, where a total of 341 artists from 56 countries participated. 

"I was appointed as the jury and curator for selecting and nominating artists from Bangladesh. It's a one-of-a-kind museum where all artworks were selected and voted on virtually and will be in the permanent collection of the museum in Busan, South Korea," said Preema.

She voiced her pleasure in the fact that in a sea of world-renowned artists, three artworks from fellow Bangladeshi artists (Abu Kalam Shamsuddin, Sourav Chowdhury and Azmeer Hossain) received the excellence award out of 18 shortlisted artworks from chosen 273 artworks.

For the past 18 months, Preema has been splitting her time between London and Bangladesh, supported by a Global Talent Leadership scholarship from the UK government. She admits that pursuing a programme with basic entry-level requirements at this stage in her career is quite a challenge.

"I wanted to embrace this opportunity for migration as an experiment, a way to explore my identity at a deeper level. Living in a small, one-room flat, so different from my life in Dhaka, feels like a performance in itself. I've come to see it as a six-month-long act of a performance in exile," she said.

"Over there, I didn't even paint for months. It has been quite a traumatic experience for me," she added.

Owing to her scholarship and fellowship programme, Preema has been busy with her institutional research work. She delivered a keynote speech in Greece during a conference on the topic of body performance arts in public spaces. She also conducted an exhibition at the Brady House.

By virtue of her prolonged stay in the UK, Preema got to showcase one of her 'performance arts' in Ireland. At the Tallaght (a town in Dublin) Performance Art festival earlier in September, Preema demonstrated an hour-long body performance art titled 'Luncheon at the Graveyard.'

The performance explored the complexity of human actions and evolving identities, using the body as a metaphor. It illustrated the blend and contrast of two cultures, shaped by religious and historical narratives, creating a unique paradox. Though the graveyard is sacred, death remains universal across cultures and beliefs—a concept that, despite ideas of the afterlife, stands isolated.

"During such performances, I believe my being transcends to a superior level, to a different world. I am at one with my art and with the story I want to convey. I push my boundaries to the most extreme limits," said Preema.

Preema has dedicated more than 25 years to art. Her portfolio extends far beyond solo and group exhibitions—though she has over 20 solo shows to her name. Her work has travelled internationally, reaching audiences across continents with around 30 performances in diverse settings, whether in Asia, Europe, or the streets of Dhaka

This wasn't her only performance in Europe though. One performance that she is rather fond of was an impromptu act in 2017 on a train in Budapest. At the border between Budapest and Bratislava, when officers requested her passport, Preema wrapped her head and face in a scarf, hiding her passport within it and refusing to hand it over.

"I am a Muslim woman. I cannot hand you my passport, as I am forbidden from touching a stranger's hand," she stated firmly. 

The police, baffled and persistent, continued to demand her passport, but Preema didn't budge. After a prolonged back and forth, it was the policemen who conceded defeat and had to leave without checking her passport. Preema received an ovation from her fellow performance artists who were onboard the same train, including an appreciation from renowned American performance artist Marilyn Arsem. 

"Resistance speaks volumes. Resistance from artists even holds the power to topple governments," she said with a proud chuckle on her face.

Speaking of toppling governments, Preema quite happily takes pride in one of her performances she did back in 2017 in Shahbagh, the very Shahbagh where the seed of the recent uprising was sown. She feels the spirit of the students and the protesters mirrored the energy she left behind in Shahbagh during her performance. 

"All I did was walk from one end of Shahbagh to the other, alone, on a road with active traffic. My performance focused on the 'female body in a public space,'" she explained.

She wrapped herself with flowers, aiming to spark curiosity among onlookers. Flowers are typically an accessory, not something a woman would be entirely draped in, making her walk both unexpected and thought-provoking.

"A few of my associates told me that this performance from seven years ago acted as the trigger for them to take to the streets in protest. It's as if my energy still lingers over there," Preema added.

As I said earlier, she's quite the piece of work, isn't she?