Upcoming

Sahana Rahman is a Painter, Textile and Community Artist of Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan Tamil heritage. Born and raised in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, she graduated with a BFA (Hons) degree from Massey University in 2022 and moved to Tāmaki Makaurau in 2023 to pursue her arts practice full-time.

Sahana’s work reflects on the complexities of life as a brown queer person, connected with memory, healing and decolonisation through their unique blending of South Asian style embroidery and Mughal miniature painting. She layers textures with mirrors, brass charms and an earthy colour palette to reflect her diasporic identity.

In 2022, Sahana founded the “Nokshi Kotha Workshop” in response to her post-pandemic social anxiety. The workshop gently encourages connection through “Nokshi Kantha”, a fading Bengali embroidery tradition that Sahana is hoping to revive. Over 200 participants have contributed to the embroidered mural, creating space for shared conversation, collective healing and joy.

More details to come.