The Proximity of connection: past, present and I is the second solo exhibition by Bangladeshi-Australian visual artist, Mita Chowdhury. Connecting her present geographical and social location on Bunurong and Waddawurrung Country, Mita reflects on her sense of disconnect from the cultural landscapes of both her traditional Bangladeshi and Australian migrant-settler identities.

Working with materials carefully selected for their metaphoric meaning and cultural specificity, she paints with botanic dyes created from native leaves and wattle referencing her experiences as a migrant on Country. Mita also draws heavily on the history and the materiality of the Saree – the traditional attire of South-Asian and Bangladeshi women, reimagined in this exhibition as a canvas for her large-scale portrait painting and installation practice. Drawing figures from her heritage, memories and lived experience, Mita layers complex narratives within her paintings, speaking to universal issues of gender, diaspora, and cultural segregation.