Wyndham-based interdisciplinary artist Mita Chowdhury has been selected for the 2026 Venice Biennale Mentorship Opportunity, opening an international pathway for her work exploring migration, memory and cultural identity.
The mentorship, supported by Wyndham City Arts & Culture in partnership with Deakin University, will see Chowdhury travel to Venice from 19 to 24 October to participate in Venetian Bind, a collaborative project hosted by the European Cultural Centre.
Born in Bangladesh’s river delta, Chowdhury draws on personal and family histories to examine memory, place and belonging, with a particular focus on first-generation Bangladeshi Australian women.
Her practice spans digital image-making, painting, installation, textiles and socially engaged art. She explores how photographs, oral histories, materials and everyday cultural traditions carry knowledge and shape identities across generations.
During the six-day programme, Chowdhury will work alongside artists, designers, filmmakers, writers and researchers from Deakin University, participating in workshops, creative exchanges, feedback and critique sessions.
Curated by Cameron Bishop and David Cross, Venetian Bind will encourage participants to develop site-responsive artworks informed by Venice’s history, culture and material environment.
The collaborative works will be exhibited at Palazzo Mora in Venice in November 2026 before returning to Melbourne, with further exhibition opportunities to be explored.
The mentorship is designed to support Chowdhury’s professional development while strengthening Wyndham’s creative community through international collaboration, new ideas and cross-cultural exchange.
An emerging artistic voice
Chowdhury has exhibited in Australia and Bangladesh, including at the 19th Asian Art Biennale in Dhaka in 2022. She has held seven solo exhibitions since 2021, most recently Inheritance at RMIT First Site Gallery in 2026.
Her awards include the RMIT Cultural Vision Scholarship in 2022 and the ADFAS Yarra Young and Emerging Artist Award in 2023.
The mentorship offers an opportunity to expand her artistic practice, build international professional networks and explore new approaches to presenting stories of migration, identity and intergenerational memory.
Wyndham City Council said the programme would help a local artist develop her practice on an international stage while bringing fresh perspectives and creative connections back to the community.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
