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Shunno hosted an engaging evening of talk, presentation, live performance, and participatory learning with renowned performance artist Abu Naser Robii. The event brought together artists, students, and art enthusiasts to explore performance art as a practice rooted in experience, history, and collective exchange.
Designed as an open and immersive session, the program combined theoretical discussion with live artistic action, followed by direct audience engagement through dialogue and hands-on exploration.
Event Highlights
The session began with a presentation on Porapara Space for Art and Performance Art Activities (2004–2019). Abu Naser Robii reflected on the formation of Porapara, an alternative artist-led space he co-founded in 2004, and discussed its role in supporting experimental art practices and performance art in Bangladesh over a fifteen-year period.
This was followed by an insightful discussion on performance art—its definition, historical background, and development in the context of Bangladesh. Robii traced the evolution of performance art globally while situating its emergence and growth within local cultural, social, and political realities.
In the next segment, Robii shared his personal artistic journey, focusing on experiences and moments of self-realization that shaped his engagement with performance art. He spoke candidly about the challenges, discoveries, and transformations encountered throughout his practice.
A live performance by the artist formed the central moment of the event. The performance offered the audience a direct, embodied experience of performance art, emphasizing presence, time, and interaction as core elements of the medium.
Following the performance, a question-and-answer session allowed participants to engage in meaningful dialogue with the artist. Questions ranged from conceptual approaches to performance art to practical concerns about sustaining artistic practice in Bangladesh.
The event concluded with an on-the-spot workshop, where audience members actively participated in simple performance-based exercises. This hands-on segment encouraged participants to explore the fundamentals of performance art through immediate action and reflection.
About the Artist
Abu Naser Robii (b. 1975) grew up in Patenga, Chittagong. He studied drawing and painting at the Department of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong. Based in Dhaka and Chittagong, Robii has been actively involved in cultural activities since his student life.
In 2004, he co-founded Porapara Space for Artists with fellow artists and served as its director until 2019. Through this initiative, he contributed significantly to the development of alternative art spaces and performance art practices in Bangladesh.
Robii has participated in numerous national and international performance art events, exhibitions, and seminars, and has conducted more than 20 workshops on performance art. He is widely recognized as one of the leading performance artists in Bangladesh, continuing to influence and expand the discourse of performance art through practice, pedagogy, and collaboration.
