Artist Auntora Mehrukh Azad’s maiden solo art exhibition titled ‘Solastalgia: Fragments of a Fading Horizon’ is currently underway at the gallery of Platforms by ISHO, in Pragati Sarani, Baridhara in the capital. Inaugurated on Saturday, October 19, the exhibition delves into the personal and universal experiences of environmental change, as seen through the eyes of young and promising artist Auntora Mehrukh Azad, whose deep connection to Bangladesh's rivers and landscapes represents her work. ‘Solastalgia: Fragments of a Fading Horizon’ explores the impact of climate-induced flooding and the tension between rural and urban environments. Growing up in Dhaka, one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in the world, she witnessed the powerful relationship between the landscape and water. Bangladesh’s geography, shaped by rivers and monsoons, is both a source of life and destruction. “A pivotal moment came in 2018, when I worked with flood-affected communities in Pakuria. Immersed in their lives, I began to see the landscape as one reshaped by human influence and negligence,” Auntora Mehrukh Azad reminisced about her journey behind the inspiration of this exhibition. The neon pink waters in her work represent the unnatural, manmade elements of this crisis, exacerbated by climate change - a global issue that hits the most vulnerable hardest, according to the artist. “From the Sundarbans to Dhaka’s dense urban fabric, Auntora’s works reflect the convergence of these worlds, blending internal emotions with external observations of a landscape reshaped by human activity and environmental crisis. Through the imagery of neon waters and floating islands, Auntora captures fragmented yet interconnected stories, reflecting the collective experiences of those on the margins of environmental disaster,” the exhibition’s curator Rayana Hossain, also the Founder and Managing Director of ISHO and Platforms, stated. The exhibition has been arranged to showcase the shifting scales of these transitions. It moves from intimate depictions of flood-affected communities to broader, more abstract landscapes, highlighting the internal and external journey of displacement and environmental degradation. Each painting extends beyond the frame, symbolising the magnitude of the crisis—far too vast to be confined to canvas. Read: Masudur Rahman’s solo exhibition ‘Journey of the Cosmos’ begins at AFD Auntora Mehrukh Azad is a visual artist whose work explores the evolving relationship between nature and urban life. Through an exaggerated and artificial colour palette, her paintings emphasise the gradual dominance of urbanisation over the natural world.  

Showcasing magnificent woodcut on paper, the oldest form of printmaking, by young artist Abdullah Al Bashir, a solo exhibition titled ‘Evolution’ was inaugurated at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in the capital’s Dhanmondi on Friday. The exhibition is displaying more than 30 of Bashir’s exclusive artworks, based on his experience of exploring the ship-breaking process in Khulna and the environmental risks it poses in the country. Dhaka University pro-vice-chancellor (academic) Prof Dr ASM Maksud Kamal inaugurated the exhibition, while eminent artists Prof Syed Abul Barq Alvi and Prof Anisuzzaman Anis from Department of Printmaking, Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, chairman of Radiant Pharmaceuticals Limited Md Nasser Shahrear Zahedee and AFD director François Grosjean joined the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition as special guests. Praising Bashir’s dedication to his craft, Prof Syed Abul Barq Alvi said, “I have always seen him busy with his work as a student of the Department of Printmaking at DU’s Faculty of Fine Arts. I have always noticed his special attraction towards woodcut and watercolour. He created a lot of work in these two media, based on his surroundings, nature, everyday life, and his work reflects his deep observation of things around him which all of us are amazed by.” Also read: Photo exhibition by Mongol Deep Foundation begins in city Abdullah Al Bashir secured first class in both his BFA in 2009 and MFA in 2010 from the Department of Printmaking. He then went to Yunnan Arts University in China for higher education with a scholarship, where he received the ‘All Media Best Award’ for his woodcut print in 2020. During his academic life, he achieved five scholarships. “After graduating from China, he suddenly moved to Bandarban, Rangamati, and remote areas, and worked there for a long time. In every work, detailing and use of colours are characteristic. His maturity in terms of colours is unmatched, I don't see sudden use of colour in his work. I take a lot of pride as a teacher to see my students, such as Bashir, who are still working in woodcuts,” Prof Anisuzzaman said at the event. Bashir has showcased brilliance in printmaking through not-often seen methods including relief, intaglio, and lithography, along with popular mediums such as woodcut, watercolour, etching, and drawing. Bashir’s hyper-realistic watercolour and his unique attraction towards woodcuts is notable. He has worked on huge woodcut blocks on multiple plates which are complicated yet unique techniques. “I observed the process of ship-breaking and its environmental impact in Khulna, and from that artistic liability, I produced this series of works,” Bashir told UNB. “I spent my childhood years at Shekhpara, Khulna. The place was surrounded by the sound of iron mills, labourers, abandoned iron pieces and abandoned ships at the shipyard, and I always tried to include these in my works and also explore the light and shade, as I wanted to expose the light and the darkness of our society.” “I have allegorically used ‘ship’ in my artwork series, through which I have tried to depict the universe, state, society and my own self which collapsed and is now fixed. The ship carries profound opportunities or dreams and hopes for the future. The ship will, one day, be functioning under the direction of an appropriate leadership or captaincy and take an appropriate course of action to keep things in balance,” Bashir explained his artistic vision. Abdullah Al Bashir’s first solo exhibition, titled “Viewing Depth”, was held in 2011 at Zainul Gallery, Dhaka University. The AFD exhibition will remain open to visitors till December 14, Monday to Saturday, from 3 pm to 9 pm.  

Young sculptor-painter Anisuzzaman Faroque’s first solo exhibition ‘GENTLE GRASS’ was unveiled at Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) Friday. Organized by AFD in association with ARTcon and Studio III, the exhibition is showcasing a total of 24 sculpture-based artworks and nine charcoal drawings, created by Faroque. Eminent sculptor and art maestro Professor Hamiduzzaman Khan, Dhaka University's Fine Art Professor Lala Rukh Selim, and Jahangirnagar University's Professor of Anthropology Manosh Chowdhury jointly inaugurated the exhibition. A book under the same title, published by ARTcon, was also unveiled at the inaugural ceremony of the exhibition. Read: Curtain rises on Shilpo Bangla Art Exhibition Faroque was born in Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, in 1993. He received his bachelor's degree in 2015 and master's degree in 2018 from the Department of Sculpture, Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University.  Working as a sculptor in both figurative and abstract genres, Faroque mastered his skills in clay modelling and sculptural presentation. His linear sculptures have received national recognition, while his drawings, modelling and various medieval sculptures are enriching Bangladesh's diversified art space.  Faroque also embodies the practice of art in his own life and finds and declares his works of art from everything in nature and life. “I see our everyday events as the source of my artwork and I constantly try to present them in a completely abstract manner, and artworks presented here are made of that simplistic philosophy,” he told UNB. “Faroque's works in the exhibition oscillate with the rhythms of water and wind. The sensuous juxtaposition of metal sheet shapes and textures with rhythmic curves evokes the touch of sea waves and wind.  "A transcendental rhythm has been created by the harmony of lines and shapes of natural elements; the interaction between nature's forces and organic structures is presented in a rhythmic manner throughout the sculptural works in the exhibition,” Professor Lala Rukh said at the event. AFD director François Grosjean said, “We perceive a connection between everyday life and art in the work of Faroque, as well as a connection between art and nature.  "His creative soul takes its cues from nature and is able to carry on a clear and concise dialogue with the natural world around him, his art is also a method of expressing elements; for instance, we discover the moon in several of his works, which we find to be rather amusing.” The exhibition will remain open till August 30, Monday to Saturday from 3pm till 9pm.  

An exhibition of paintings by Bangladeshi artist Rokeya Sultana marking the 50th anniversary of the India-Bangladesh relationship at the Lalit Kala Academy in New Delhi from October 23 has been postponed. Necessary arrangements were also made for the inauguration of the exhibition on Saturday, but the Indian government has ordered the postponement of the exhibition without showcasing any particular reason, according to Indian newspaper Anandabazar. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Leader of Congress party in Loksabha, and Chairperson, Public Accounts Committee, Parliament of India, slammed the decision via a tweet from his verified Twitter account on Friday. Read: Rokeya's art exhibition opens at Indian Cultural Centre “Bangladesi artist Rokeya Sultana's solo has been postponed without assigning any appropriate reasons. However the exhibition in India was organized by Indian Council of Cultural Relations in collaboration with Bengal Foundation,” he wrote.

Month-long exhibition ‘NOOR’ by artist and painter Ronni Ahmed recently begun in the capital in both offline gallery and virtual platform. The exclusive, solo exhibition started on April 14 at Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan Avenue, marking both the occasions of the first day of Ramadan and Pahela Baishakh 1428. But the ongoing countrywide lockdown forced the exhibition to go virtual in association with art agency ARTcon. Showcasing Ahmed's personal and artistic journey toward Sufism, NOOR features 48 paintings and five installations, along with a premiere screening of the film ‘Taslima’s Garden’. Read Two-month long art show on Sheikh Hasina ends with tributes to Bangabandhu The works in the exhibition are themed on the mystical and romantic aspects of Sufism, where light and enlightenment are emphasised. An Artificial Intelligence (AI) art project by the artist can also be viewed in a VR tour of his own studio.