SOMA SUROVI JANNAT (b. 1980) is an artist from Bangladesh whose practice spans drawing, painting, installation, and video. Her work arises from a profound connection with nature, often honed through plein air sketching in villages across Bangladesh and India. Deeply inspired by conversations with rural communities and their traditional attitudes toward the environment, her drawings frequently integrate organic materials to create multi-dimensional spaces that encourage viewer interaction. Her recent body of work, inspired by the Sundarbans mangrove forests, addresses the global climate crisis and critiques the link between natural disasters and social inequalities.

Soma’s work has received significant recognition. She was awarded the Samdani Art Award at the 2020 Dhaka Art Summit, which included a residency at the Delfina Foundation, London; and the Young Artist Award from the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy that same year. In 2023, she became the first Bangladeshi artist to participate in the Frere Hall South Asian Artist in Residence programme at The Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford, which will host her solo exhibition in March 2025. She has also showcased her work at various international exhibitions, including Colomboscope 2024 (Sri Lanka), ‘Paint your own village’ at Kora Contemporary Arts Center (Italy, 2023), the Serendipity Arts Festival (Goa, India, 2018), and the 7th Beijing International Art Biennale (China, 2017).