An exclusive solo exhibition of acclaimed Irish artist Oona Hyland titled "An Duanaire: Visual Poems of the Dispossessed," was inaugurated on Tuesday - the first of its kind by an Irish artist in Bangladesh.
"Oona Hyland is spending three weeks in Dhaka for an artistic cultural exchange - the first Irish qartist to do it. She is a visual artist with over 25 years experience working as a professional artist," Ambassador of Ireland to Bangladesh Kevin Kelly, who is based out of New Delhi, said at the inauguration at the Garden Gallery in Baridhara.
Honorary Consul of Ireland in Bangladesh Masud Khan hosted the event.
The residency, jointly organized by Gallery Cosmos and the Embassy of Ireland as part of the Ireland-Bangladesh Art Exchange Programme, serves as a dynamic platform for cultural dialogue and artistic collaboration between the two nations.
Thanking Masud Khan and his team for supporting, Ambassador Kelly said this initiative aims to foster artistic collaboration and deepen cultural ties between Bangladesh and Ireland, through the medium of printmaking.
He said "Though we have no embassy in Bangladesh, we have a long history of partnership with Bangladesh, development co-operation and business and hope to grow the relationship."
"During her time in Dhaka, Oona will explore how art connects memory, healing, and collective reflection. Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore's vision of creativity as a moral and spiritual force, her work will focus on Bangladesh's history and artistic resilience," he commented.
He also hoped that the success of this residency fosters deeper artistic collaboration between Ireland and Bangladesh not only have Irish artists come to Bangladesh but also Bangladeshi artists travel to Ireland.
Welcoming all guests from home and abroad, Masud Khan, also Deputy Managing Director of the Cosmos Group, said: "You know, I was a little bit worried at first — whether we’d have enough time, and how everything would turn out. But thanks to all our efforts, and especially to Oona, who worked tirelessly every single day — very hard — it all came together beautifully."
Mentioning the Irish artist as incredibly dedicated, hardworking, and "pleasant of personality", he said everyone has been saying so many nice things about her, and he truly hoped that she would come back here again.
"We also had a wonderful exchange at Dhaka University — meeting the faculty and students there was really great. After today, you’ll finally have some free time, and we have a few more outings planned for you. Maybe you can visit some more galleries and explore the city a bit," he added.
