Opening Reception: November 1st, 5:00-7:30pm

(Twelve Gates Arts located at 106 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106)

“Someone soaks the wicks of clay lamps

in mustard oil, each night climbs its steps

to read messages scratched on planets.”

– Agha Shahid Ali, The Country Without a Post Office

In Fragments of a City’s Memory, artists Noor Ali Chagani, Mashiul Chowdhury, and Belal Khaled, collectively consider who is allowed to live and breathe in a city. Chagani hails from Sindh, Chowdhury from Dhaka, and Khaled from Palestine, each working in vastly different locations amongst incomparable circumstances. Together, they examine how native cultures are erased by oppressors, excluded from the historical narrative. They question whose lives are counted, who migrates, and who is left with no choice but to flee. How does this valuing of life appear or not appear in the markings of a city? 

For more information about the exhibition, click here.