Teen artists reflect on friendship and farewell in ‘Convergence’

As adults, how many of us still think back to those warm afternoons after school — rushing through homework just so we could run out to play? We remember the conversations with nostalgia, yet struggle to recall the details now. What books did we love? Which characters were we obsessed with? Who were our heroes before life’s responsibilities began to weigh on us?

“Convergence”  works to preserve the answers to such questions.

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A corner of Alliance Française de Dhaka’s Galerie Zoom has been transformed into a time capsule, where three teenage artists come together to tell a story that feels both tender and universal. “Convergence” is less about spectacle and more about memory — about how friendship forms, stretches across distance, and learns to say goodbye without ever fully letting go.

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Created by Anwesha Dutta, Sharleez Tarneem, and Zuwairiya Rabiah Nusayba, the exhibition brings together works shaped by different backgrounds and perspectives, yet bound by a shared emotional core. Through paintings, drawings, and mixed-media pieces, the artists portray how teenagers think and feel — candidly, vulnerably, and without pretence.

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The exhibition feels universal because, as an audience who has long crossed the threshold of adolescence, I could recognise fragments of my own childhood obsessions within the works. The small handwritten notes, imperfect brushstrokes toward the hopes and dreams the artists carry for their futures.

At its heart, “Convergence” is rooted in friendship. What began as innocent conversations gradually evolved into shared moments and a private world of their own. Over time, distance and circumstance intervened, creating separation before a proper farewell could be spoken. Rather than allowing those moments to fade, the artists chose to preserve them through art.

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“Convergence was created to hold onto memories — to revisit them in the future, even when people are no longer in the same place,” reads the exhibition note. That sentiment resonates throughout the gallery. There is warmth here, and an optimism untouched by the dull greys of adulthood. The colours are bright and primary. The works dream of Harry Potter’s Patronus, sunlit morning breakfasts, extravagant fashion week, and the serenity of Santorini. The sky is bluer here, and the magic of the aurora still feels possible.

The exhibition unfolds like a prolonged goodbye — one that gently acknowledges the ache of distance while celebrating what once was. In doing so, “Convergence” becomes a tribute not only to friendship, but to the emotional honesty of youth.

The exhibition was formally inaugurated on January 9, 2026, at Galerie Zoom, Alliance Française de Dhaka. Convergence will remain open until January 15, 2026, and can be visited from 3:00pm to 9:00pm, Friday through Thursday, with the gallery closed on Sundays.