Md Imran Hossen is part of a new generation of South Asian cultural curators redefining how the region tells its story—beyond borders, beyond institutions, and beyond the conventional. A Bangladeshi by origin and a researcher by practice, Hossen’s curatorial work is not confined to gallery walls. It is living, itinerant, and infused with a mission: to amplify regional voices, build cultural bridges, and place South Asian creativity on the world map. His latest project, the Nepal Art Expo 2025, held at the prestigious Nepal Art Council Gallery in Kathmandu, is both a culmination of this mission and a launching pad for what comes next.
The Nepal Art Expo 2025 was not just an exhibition. It was a statement. It brought together 119 artists from 12 countries in South and Southeast Asia—Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, India, China, and others—for a four-day showcase that included visual art installations, panel talks, live workshops, and performances. The numbers were ambitious, but the intent behind them was even more so. For Hossen, art is not merely for viewing—it is a tool for diplomacy, dialogue, and systemic change. His message was simple: creativity can unify what politics divides.
Imran Hossen was born and raised in Bangladesh, where he developed an early fascination with cultural memory, visual language, and storytelling through images. Over time, this grew into a multidisciplinary practice that bridges academic research, field-based collaboration, and curatorial leadership. He is currently a PhD researcher at Multimedia University (MMU) in Malaysia, focusing on visual arts and media theory. This academic background gives his work a unique edge—rigorous yet fluid, theoretical yet deeply grounded in practice.
What distinguishes Hossen from others in his field is not only his youthful energy but his unwavering belief that South Asian artists deserve platforms equal to those of the West. That belief is evident in how he curated the Nepal Art Expo—democratically, inclusively, and with a regionalist lens. The event was heavily participatory, designed to challenge traditional hierarchies in art curation. Visitors were not merely spectators—they were contributors to the discourse. Whether through interactive installations, Q&A sessions with artists, or collaborative workshops, the Expo was a dynamic space where boundaries dissolved.
The exhibition highlighted work across a spectrum of mediums—painting, sculpture, mixed media, video art, and performance. A special focus was placed on themes of environmental justice, indigenous heritage, and feminist narratives, with contributions from young and mid-career artists from remote corners of South Asia. One installation from Bhutan explored the impact of glacial melt on mountain communities; a sculpture from Bangladesh used recycled industrial material to critique fast fashion and labor exploitation. These were not just artworks; they were manifestos.
Imran Hossen’s vision does not end with curating high-profile events. He is part of a wider movement of South Asian cultural workers committed to building a new arts infrastructure for the region—one that is sustainable, artist-led, and regionally integrated. He often speaks about the lack of mobility for South Asian artists: the limited grants, the visa barriers, the absence of regional cultural policy. His work is an intervention into that ecosystem, pushing institutions to think more openly and collaboratively.
In 2025 alone, aside from Nepal, Hossen also played a key role in curating the Malaysia International Art Exhibition in Selangor, featuring 78 artists from nine countries. He is actively affiliated with the Pink Jambu Artists Group in Malaysia and the National Sculpture Gallery of Bangladesh, both of which work to support emerging artists and engage public audiences. These networks form the backbone of his regional advocacy, helping him realize projects that might seem logistically or politically impossible to others.
Hossen’s career is marked by his preference for real engagement over celebrity-driven art. He prefers collaborating with artists from indigenous and rural backgrounds, students, and activist-collectives—groups often excluded from the contemporary art world. Whether hosting a dialogue between Bhutanese animists and Dhaka-based installation artists, or setting up youth-led exhibitions in regional universities, he is committed to redistributing cultural capital.
While his work often receives recognition in policy circles and academic forums, Hossen remains deeply grounded in field practice. He frequently travels across South Asia, attending residencies, mentoring students, and conducting field research on art education and visual traditions. His dream is to establish a permanent South Asian Art Biennale that rotates between cities like Dhaka, Kathmandu, Colombo, and Thimphu, co-curated by artists from each country. It is a vision rooted in cooperation, not competition—a bold rethinking of how cultural legacy should be preserved and reimagined.
Imran Hossen’s contribution to Nepal Art Expo 2025 has made one thing clear: regionalism is no longer a romantic idea—it is a practical imperative. His ability to navigate different institutional cultures, languages, and curatorial methodologies is emblematic of the future of cultural leadership in Asia. In an era of nationalist art policies and shrinking spaces for dissent, Hossen is pushing for something larger—a South Asia that is more interconnected, more expressive, and more attuned to its own vast cultural depth.
This, perhaps, is where his power lies—not just in organizing exhibitions, but in expanding the very definition of what art curation in South Asia can be. It can be political. It can be healing. It can be regional. And most importantly, it can be young. Md Imran Hossen is still in his twenties, yet his vision is reshaping how a generation of artists and audiences understand their place in the world.
The Nepal Art Expo 2025 may be over, but its ripple effects are just beginning. The regional networks it helped fortify, the conversations it sparked, and the artists it elevated are evidence of what happens when someone curates not just art—but futures. In the hands of leaders like Hossen, South Asia’s creative trajectory looks less like a map drawn by borders, and more like a tapestry woven with shared stories, colors, and struggles.
Md Imran Hossen’s story is far from complete. But already, it is a blueprint for what the region’s cultural present—and future—can look like: visionary, inclusive, and radically collaborative.
