Ashmolean NOW Soma Surovi Jannat Catalogue

This exclusive catalogue accompanies the Ashmolean Museum's fifth exhibition of the Ashmolean Now series, opening 28 March 2026. Focusing on the artist’s recent works, concerns around environmental issues, and engagement with the Ashmolean collections.

Discover the first comprehensive exhibition catalogue dedicated to Soma Surovi Jannat's recent works. This Ashmolean publication showcases a contemporary multidisciplinary artist whose practice draws inspiration from the Ashmolean's collections. Unlike previous commercial catalogues focusing on her earlier output, this book offers fresh insight into her evolving artistic vision. Perfect for collectors, art enthusiasts, and those seeking to engage with cutting-edge creative practice rooted in museum heritage.

In 2023, Soma Surovi Jannat (b.1990), one of the most exciting emerging artists working in South Asia, became the Ashmolean’s first artist-in-residence from Bangladesh. Jannat’s art practice arises from a profound connection with nature. Inspired by the Ashmolean collection, her recent works weave together motifs to create new imaginary worlds of forests, bodies of water, animal and human forms.

The exhibition will capture the ways in which Jannat explores the climate crisis, natural disasters, and the disproportionate impact on marginalised communities and ecosystems. An artist of exceptional talent and versatility, this would be Jannat’s first solo exhibition in the UK focusing on her engagement with the Ashmolean collections and the works created between 2023 and 2026.

Professor Mallica Kumbera Landrus is Keeper of the Eastern Art Department in the Ashmolean Museum, where the collections span more than 5,000 years of cultural and artistic development, from across Asia and parts of Africa. Her curatorial responsibilities are mainly in Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian art.