Partition is Imaginary
Seattle Office of Arts & Culture/King Street Station
Partition is Imaginary
An art exhbition commemorating the tragedy of Partition and a celebration of our intertwined roots
in the Indian Subcontinent.
Dates
August 7 - October 30
2025
Call for Art:
Partition is Imaginary
A juried art exhibition exploring the 1947 Partition of India and it’s impact
Open to Artists of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani Heritage
Exhibition Dates: 08/07/25-10/30/25
Location:
Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
303 S Jackson St, Seattle, WA 98104
About:
The 1947 Partition of India remains a pivotal moment in South Asian history, leaving a profound and enduring impact on the lives of millions. This exhibition seeks to explore the multifaceted legacy of Partition through the lens of contemporary art.
We invite artists of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani heritage to submit works that reflect their personal and collective experiences of this historical event.
Themes:
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Personal Narratives: Submissions may explore personal family histories, memories of displacement and the enduring impact of Partition on individual lives and communities.
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Cultural Identity: Works may address issues of cultural identity, belonging and the complexities of navigating a divided past.
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Social Justice: Submissions may explore themes of social justice, human rights and the ongoing struggle for peace and reconciliation in South Asia.
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Memory and Trauma: Works may address the psychological and emotional impact of Partition, including trauma, loss and the ongoing process of healing.
Media:
All media are welcome, including but not limited to:
Painting
Sculpture
Photography
Video
Installation
Mixed Media
Digital Art
Poetry
Music
Performance Art (Proposals will be considered for the opening ceremony on 08/07/25)
Submission Guidelines:
Eligibility: Artists of Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani heritage are eligible to submit. We encourage artists to apply from all over the globe.
Submission Deadline: April 14 2025 (5 pm PST)
Submission Format: Email partitionisimaginary@gmail.com with your submission consisting of images of artwork, accompanying artist statement and artist resume. Maximum submission of 10 pieces of artwork (can be any combination of medium). If image artwork size exceeds email attachment requirements, please attach dropbox or google drive links to your artwork.
Artist Statement: A brief artist statement (no more than 250 words) is required for each submitted artwork.
Artist Resume: Please include your artist resume with your submission.
Image Requirements:
Image Size:
1. Resolution: 300 dpi (dots per inch) for print, ensures high quality when images are printed in catalogs or exhibition materials.
Dimensions: File size between 2 MB to 5 MB is ideal for submission.
Width: 1500 to 3000 pixels
Height: 1500 to 3000 pixels
Ensure the artwork is large enough to showcase detail but not too large to overwhelm the system.
2. File Format: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, PDF, mp3, mp4, mov
Avoid using formats like GIF or BMP.
If you are submitting poetry please use PDF format especially if it is in another language (not English). If submitting poetry in a foreign language, please submit accompanying English translation.
3. Other Considerations:
Color Profile: sRGB or RGB or CMYK
File Naming: Name your artwork file with your first and last name, the artwork's title, and the entry number (1-10).
Watermarking: Images must not have a watermark.
Selection Process:
This exhibition is curated by Interdisciplinary artist Rohena Alam Khan/1971. The curator will review all submissions and select works for inclusion in the exhibition.
Renumeration:
Artists whose artworks are selected will receive a one-time payment of $100.
Contact:
partitionisimaginary@gmail.com
+1 646 300 5696
About the Curator
Rohena Alam Khan/1971
Rohena Alam Khan is a Seattle-based interdisciplinary artist. She was born and raised in Dhaka, Bangladesh and completed her Bachelors in Journalism and Fine Art from Winthrop University in South Carolina. During the early years of Rohena’s corporate career in Copywriting, she completed another degree in Graphic Design from Raffles International College in Bangkok, Thailand. A deep love for journalism permeates all facets of Rohena’s creative practice. As an immigrant, Muslim woman of color and the daughter of a freedom fighter, her advocacy always leans towards the most marginalized, systemically oppressed and the voiceless. Rohena’s art addresses social issues plaguing the universe and can take the shape of a classical Bharatanatyam dance, documentary film, large-scale painting or rap song. Taking inspiration from her own journey, Rohena explores layers of a life of migration, war, pop culture and politics and often combines abstract expressionism with narrative storytelling in her paintings. Rohena’s paintings have been exhibited in galleries of America, Thailand and Bangladesh and her murals can be seen in various locations in Seattle. Rohena loves to inaugurate her shows with a classical Bharatanatyam dance performance. Rohena is a mural grant recipient of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “Hopes Corps Mural Project” as well as an Artist Trust GAP recipient. Currently she is editing a documentary short called “A Dancer in Dhaka” based on her Bharatanatyam guru. Rohena values the rich history and legacies that carry on through art and loves working with local artists, community organizations and city officials to promote equitable access to art and culture. Rohena’s art abides by no rules and no borders. Her goal is to continue to create media harboring the essence of modern Bangladesh.
Notes from the Curator
For this exhibition, I want to showcase artwork created on the topic of “The Partition of India.” The Partition of India in 1947 was a result of the dissolution of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent, leading to the creation of two independent countries in South Asia: India and Pakistan. Partition caused large-scale loss of life (estimated one million deaths) and an unprecedented, life-threatening migration between the two dominions. Around 18 million people migrated from one side of the border to the other and the violent nature created hostility between India and Pakistan (and subsequently Bangladesh) that affects their relationships to this day. My grandparents were displaced by Partition. For the past 6 years, I have been researching and creating artwork based on Partition. My research took me to the India-Pakistan border at Wagah and to the Partition Museum in Amritsar, India. Featuring artwork by international artists from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan and the South Asian diaspora living in America, this exhibition will highlight a topic that South Asian lives have been shaped by and facilitate important conversations previous generations avoided. Through this show, the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture will create a safe space for South Asian artists to express and process feelings about Partition and for the local South Asian diaspora community to experience a seamless, harmonic, communal experience. As the curator of this show, I want to highlight the things that tie us together despite our political borders and create an opportunity for diaspora children to learn about our roots. I chose ARTS at King Street Station as a possible location for this exhibition the very first time I was in the building. It is a historic space and this opportunity is timely and fits the mission of the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture and the city of Seattle.