Laisul Hoque

Laisul Hoque is a Bangladeshi artist and filmmaker based in London. Primarily producing installations, photographs, and short-films, Hoque's work deals with social, personal, and familial histories. He attended North South University in Dhaka, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature in 2020. He later moved to the United Kingdom and completed a Master of Arts in Contemporary Photography at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, in 2022. He primarily produces installations, photographs, and films. Hoque's work deals with "autobiographical histories and their intersections with broader political, cultural, and emotional landscapes." The Purpose was to Document the Other Side

During my school years, we practiced speaking English, made friends, and learned to express our emotions—bonding in the English language. At home, my mother spoke Bangla. The responsibilities of parenthood made her communicate with authority, being the matriarch. However, in this process, we missed opportunities to express our emotions in Bangla. The influence of globalisation resulted in learning emotive language and communication exclusively in English, a language my mother couldn't speak. — Laisul Hoque — The Daily Star and the Alliance Française de Dhaka.

The film was made using "a camera his [Hoque's] father bought twenty years earlier to record his own journey through Europe."

In 2024, the film was shortlisted for the CIRCA Prize and was subsequently broadcast on public electronic billboards, including Piccadilly Lights in London, Kurfürstendamm in Berlin, and Cadorna Square in Milan. Discussing the film for The White Pube, art critic Zarina Muhammad noted that the film's reliance on "images and gesture fill the gap where pain reduces language to a kind of flimsy dust."

An Ode to All the Flavours

In 2024, Hoque exhibited an installation titled An Ode to All the Flavours at the Whitechapel Gallery. The work consisted of a physical replica of a Bangladeshi sweet shop counter serving traditional snacks. Critics noted Hoque's use of a recreated storefront and local culinary partnerships to explore non-verbal communication and traditional masculinity within the British Bengali diaspora. Eshadi Sharif of The Business Standard noted that the installation "focused on empowering the Bangladeshi community in London while connecting locals with Bangladeshi culture."

Art critic Zarina Muhammad of The White Pube interpreted the installation as a "monument to fleeting moments" of paternal intimacy. She further noted that placing these specific cultural objects inside the Whitechapel Gallery acted as a "grab at conceptual value" that highlighted "the institutional shell, the power dynamic, [and] the players" of the contemporary art world.

Writing for Harper's Bazaar India, Upasana Das described the work as "honing into the singular visual of the roadside sweet shop lodged in his [Hoque's] memory." Hoque was subsequently awarded the 2025 East London Art Prize for the installation. He was selected for the £15,000 award from a shortlist of 12 artists,

The Ground Beneath Me Following the award, East London based arts and education charity Bow Arts commissioned Hoque's solo exhibition, The Ground Beneath Me, held at the Nunnery Gallery in early 2026. The exhibition was featured in Dazed magazine's list of "Art shows to leave the house for in February 2026." British Vogue described the exhibition as "a poignant installation." In her review for East End Review, Sarah Birch called the installation "a lyrical reflection on time and place."

Others As a recipient of the 2025–2026 Film London Artists (2026). According to Italian art magazine Mousse, the work documents a conversation about grief between the artist and a friend, interspersed with footage of Hoque's father discussing politics, exploring the intersection of personal loss and public history. The same year, he joined a University College London x Bow Arts knowledge exchange panel and spoke in conversation with Muhammad at Nunnery Gallery. In 2024, he took part in discussions at Whitechapel Gallery

Exhibitions and screenings

Solo exhibitions

2026: Grand Union, Birmingham 2026: The Ground Beneath Me, Nunnery Gallery, London 2024: An Ode to All the Flavours, Whitechapel Gallery, London 2024: An Ode to All the Flavours, Kobi Nazrul Centre, London 2024: I don't Call Enough but I'm Here Now, Oitij-jo, London

Group exhibitions and screenings

2026: Backyard Biennial, Whitechapel Gallery, London 2025: East London Art Prize Late, Whitechapel Gallery, London 2025: Harlesden Video Club '24, Harlesden High Street, London 2025: EXPERIMENTA at Ark, Ark Foundation for the Arts, Sevasi 2024: EXPERIMENTA 2024, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, Bangalore 2024: Project Banani 18, Dhaka (Solo screening) 2023: Bhalo Basha, Toynbee Hall, London 2023: ELO MELO Festival, Whitechapel Gallery, London 2023: Molasses Vases, hARTslane, London 2022: Ajker, Oitij-jo, London 2022: Degree Show, Central Saint Martins, London

Awards

2024: Finalist, CIRCA Prize