Architecture in Bangladesh: The Legacy of Muzharul Islam

Dhaka Art Summit 2016

This video was produced for the curated exhibition 'Architecture in Bangladesh'
by Aurélien Lemonier, Architect and Curator, Centre Pompidou Paris.


Muzharul Islam is the architect who would pursue, since the 1950s, a “humanist modernity” in Bangladesh’s architecture. The producer of public edifices of great quality, his commitment also made him a prominent cultural figure. For instance, it was him who called upon Louis Kahn to construct the Dhaka parliament building. However, Islam's achievements are not limited to simply enabling the construction of this masterpiece of modern architecture. A group of intellectuals emerged from Islam's initiative bringing forth in the 1980s the millenary culture of Bengal in order to contribute to the emergence of the country. All the fields of creation were summoned to partake in the reconstruction of a continuous cultural consciousness that had been affected by Partition.