Tagore sculpture controversy, Sculpture installation site at Teacher-Student Centre, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
This sculpture was a temporary installation at the University of Dhaka depicting the writer with his mouth taped and a nail driven through his book Gitanjali. Created by fine arts students during the Ekushey Book Fair in February 2023, the work was later removed by university officials.
Students from the Faculty of Fine Arts created this work during the Ekushey Book Fair in February 2023 as a statement on freedom of expression. University authorities removed it shortly after, citing lack of permission as their reason.
The creation sparked discussions about artistic freedom within educational institutions and the representation of Tagore's literary legacy in Bangladesh.
The sculpture was displayed at the Teacher-Student Centre on campus and no longer exists in its original form. Details about its current location or any remaining pieces can be learned from current art students at the university.
University authorities later discovered the broken remains of the sculpture hidden in a campus shed after removing it. This discovery revealed how the institution handled the artistic protest.
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