The solo painting exhibition titled ‘Debris’ by Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed has begun at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Saturday.

Eminent artist Monirul Islam joined the opening ceremony as the chief guest, while Mustafa Zaman, director of the Department of Fine Arts, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), also joined the event as the special guest.

The exhibition showcases almost 30 acrylic works on board paper, offering viewers a glimpse into the artist’s latest explorations.

Kazi Salahuddin has lived through the 1971 war and, even today, continues to witness devastation in regions such as Syria, Russia, Kashmir, and Myanmar - destruction that is entirely man-made. These tragedies, driven by the pursuit of power and control, have profoundly shaped his worldview; and over the decades, these experiences have left a lasting impression on his artistic journey, influencing both the themes and emotional depth of his work.

Art critic Mustafa Zaman shares his impressions of the exhibition, stating: “Of Real and Emotional Debris: The complete eraser of Gaza which was once full of life, the continued miseries of people in Kashmir, or the hopelessness faced by the displaced Rohingyas trying eke out a life in camps in Chattogram, all this jostle the mind as one tries hard to think of the future of the human race.”

“It is also hard to leave behind the legacy of Bangladesh’s multiple failures in sculpting a future,” Zaman said. “Here, the people’s dream for political stability has always remained a chimaera.”

“The fall of the repressive regime has certainly made way for all to focus on a future beyond the given structure, but it seems that things keep falling apart, and we are only left with emotional debris. I navigate through a landscape where the edifices of our collective dream lie in ruin, hence the title ‘Debris’.”

Kazi Salahuddin is a highly accomplished artist who held his first exhibition in 1987. He has already participated in many group exhibitions and carried out around 30 solo exhibitions in Bangladesh and abroad, particularly in France, the United States, India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Australia, Nepal, Iran and Yugoslavia.

The exhibition will be open to all until Saturday, May 31, from Monday to Saturday between 3 - 9 pm.