SOMA SUROVI JANNAT - press release

11 February 2026

 

Soma Surovi Jannat: Climate Culture Care is the latest in the Ashmolean NOW series of exhibitions of new works by contemporary artists that relate to the Museum’s historic collections.

In her first UK solo exhibition, and the first solo exhibition of a Bangladesh-based artist in a UK museum, Soma Surovi Jannat (chosen name Surovi, born 1990 in Dhaka, Bangladesh) uses the Sundarbans forest and the Ashmolean’s collection as inspiration to reflect on environmental issues and the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. Created following a residency at the Ashmolean in 2023, Surovi’s paintings and drawings capturing urgent global environmental issues explore the link between natural disasters and social inequalities. Curated by Mallica Kumbera Landrus, the Ashmolean’s Keeper of Eastern Art and curator of South Asian Art, the exhibition features around 40 objects including various works on paper, a 30-foot-long scroll, and an ephemeral drawing that the artist will complete directly on the wall of the gallery space.

Surovi’s work examines environmental and social circumstances particularly in the Sundarbans, an extensive forest spanning southern Bangladesh and the Indian State of West Bengal connected by a system of several hundred rivers that weave through it. The Sundarbans is home to the world’s largest mangrove forest and an array of wildlife, including the endangered Bengal tiger, as well as thirteen million people all threatened by the effects of climate change in this vulnerable region. Despite an increase in cyclonic storms and rising sea levels creating significant challenges to everyday life, people remain thanks to strong cultural and economic ties, with the forest offering sustenance as well as a sense of identity to its inhabitants. Surovi’s work addresses the beauty and fragility of the Sundarbans, urging us to consider our responsibility towards the environment and serving as a powerful reminder of the vulnerability faced by certain communities.

The majority of works in Climate Culture Care, all created between 2023 and 2025, were influenced by the artist’s encounters and research during her residency at the Ashmolean, Oxford, during which she explored symbolic aspects of the collection. For example, Surovi’s work on paper Resensitizing the Brown Narrative (2023) was inspired by clay figures portraying Indian castes within the collection as well as subsequent conversations exploring shades of brown and how South Asian bodies have historically been framed.

Where every leaf holds a tale by Soma Surovi Jannat

In another series of eight works on paper, Where Every Leaf Holds a Tale (2023-4), Surovi reflects on the decline of the vital mangrove forests of the Sundarbans, with their intertwined roots serving as natural barriers to storms and efficient capturing of carbon. Mindful of the impressive sensory abilities of plants, Surovi also explores parallels with her own artistic process – by drawing leaves that symbolise these abilities, Surovi seeks to deepen the connection between her art and the narrative of the mangrove forests, their struggles and potential for recovery. Rich with details reminiscent of the miniature painting tradition of the Indian subcontinent, the outlines of these pieces also echo the shapes of the Sundarbans’ islands, encouraging close looking and exploration.

Section of the Between the Sea and the Sky 30-foot scroll artwork by Soma Surovi Jannat showing an orange half globe and tiny bees and ants

Between the Sea and the Sky, Who Holds the Ground? is a scroll measuring almost ten metres in length divided into sections portraying everyday plants, animals, insects, and humans all threatened by climate change. In She Carries the River in Her Skin (2026), an ephemeral work drawn directly onto two walls of the exhibition gallery, Surovi explores how climate change profoundly affects women and children, particularly in South Asia. Inspired by the work of renowned Indian artist Nalini Malani (b.1946) who highlights issues faced by marginalised communities predominantly from the female perspective, Surovi’s composition unfolds like a wave with five distinct boats symbolising various challenges that women face as a result of climate change.

Surovi’s aim is to represent marginalised groups not as liabilities, but as individuals deserving of respect and dignity. Her art often features striking dismembered figures, with intricate details, set against surreal and dreamlike backgrounds or within illusionistic spaces, creating a rich tapestry of visuals. Her work In A Timeless Sweet Land (2023) was inspired by her family’s winter holidays in Lalmonirhat (northern Bangladesh), symbolising the cherished and nostalgic memories of home and a carefree childhood. By engaging with her art, viewers are encouraged to reflect on their own relationship with nature and consider their role in safeguarding the planet for future generations. Through this exploration, the artist calls for collective action against the climate crisis, emphasising the interconnectedness of global ecological issues and the necessity of a sustainable, more equitable future, and urges viewers to confront these pressing issues directly.

Xa Sturgis, Director of the Ashmolean Museum, said: 'We hope and anticipate that this exhibition, unique in its scope and approach, will stimulate discussions around Bangladesh and its contemporary art, as we celebrate the country’s 55th anniversary this year. The Frere Hall South Asia-based artist-in-residence programme generously supported by Seher and Taimur Hassan, provided both the artist and the exhibition’s curator, Mallica Kumbera Landrus, with the time and space to engage in exploratory conversations around our collections. These discussions around South Asian art history, shared socio-political interests, historical narratives and connections to contemporary issues and concerns, allowed for and enabled rich and informed encounters with our collections. What emerges from this collaboration is a dialogue full of surprising visual similarities and differences that celebrates creativity, displays exceptional artistry and is informed by curatorial curiosity and expertise.'

Soma Surovi Jannat: Climate Culture Care is produced in partnership with Seher and Taimur Hassan; British Council Bangladesh; Samdani Art Foundation; Sotheby's; Neha & Sumedh Jaiswal via Goldman Sachs Gives; Gallery Espace, New Delhi; and the Charles Wallace Bangladesh Trust.

 

ENDS

CONTACT DETAILS

Matthew Brown | matthew@sam-talbot.com | +44 (0)7989 446557
Flora Guildford | flora@sam-talbot.com | +44 (0)7708 786516
Sarah Holland | sarah.holland@glam.ox.ac.uk | +44 (0)1865 278 285

 

NOTES TO EDITORS

Exhibition: Soma Surovi Jannat: Climate Culture Care
Dates: 28 March–1 November 2026
Venue: Gallery 8, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH
Admission: Free

 

Ashmolean NOW launched in 2023 to engage and support new artistic voices based in the UK and encourage critical conversations with, and creative responses to, the Ashmolean’s collections. To date, Ashmolean NOW has invited very different artists and perspectives to exhibit:

  • Flora Yukhnovich x Daniel Crews-Chubb (8 July 2023–14 January 2024);
  • Pio Abad (10 February–8 September 2024);
  • Bettina von Zwehl (18 October 2024–11 May 2025);
  • Daphne Wright (13 June 2025–8 February 2026);
  • Soma Surovi Jannat (28 March–1 November 2026).

 

About the artist
SOMA SUROVI JANNAT (b. 1990) is an artist from Bangladesh whose practice spans drawing, painting, installation, and video. Her work arises from a profound connection with nature, often honed through plein air sketching in villages across Bangladesh and India. Deeply inspired by conversations with rural communities and their traditional attitudes toward the environment, her drawings frequently integrate organic materials to create multi-dimensional spaces that encourage viewer interaction. Her recent body of work, inspired by the Sundarbans mangrove forests, addresses the global climate crisis and critiques the link between natural disasters and social inequalities.

Soma’s work has received significant recognition. She was awarded the Samdani Art Award at the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit, which included a residency at the Delfina Foundation, London; and the Young Artist Award from the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy that same year. In 2023, she became the first Bangladeshi artist to participate in the Frere Hall South Asian artist-in-residence programme at The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, which will host her solo exhibition in March 2026. She has also showcased her work at various international exhibitions, including Colomboscope 2024 (Sri Lanka), 'Paint your own village' at Kora Contemporary Arts Center (Italy, 2023), the Serendipity Arts Festival (Goa, India, 2018), and the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale (China, 2017).

 

Images above:

Where Every Leaf Holds a Tale (1 of 8 paintings), 2023
Archival ink pen on paper, acrylic colour, gold and silver leaf
© Soma Surovi Jannat

Detail of Between the Sea and the Sky, Who Holds the Ground?, 2024–25
30-foot scroll: archival ink pen on paper, acrylic colour, gold and silver leaf
© Soma Surovi Jannat