The Berlin artist and filmmaker Lukas Zeilinger is the initiator of the project Painting Dhaka. He spent several months in the slums of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to teach graffiti art to children in local schools, helping them to find ways to express themselves and become visible. In the course of this work, graffiti proved to be an important tool for self-empowerment and Zeilinger was deeply touched by his collaboration with the young people in the project. Friendships developed that filled Zeilinger with joy and sadness at the same time. From his experience there he then created a documentary: Painting Dhaka (2023). The film premiered at the Human Rights Film Festival Berlin and won multiple awards. The project has since expanded to other locations such as Berlin and Kosovo. Here in the museum, the artist is presenting a selection of documentation from this impressive work.

“The more I spent time with the children, the deeper our bond became. It was a friendship that filled me with great joy and deep sadness. I couldn’t help but take a closer look behind the facade of a country and its capital that had been completely foreign to me shortly before.”

On loan courtesy of the artist.