United News of Bangladesh

Eminent cultural personality Syed Jamil Ahmed, a distinguished theatre director and founding chair of Dhaka University's Department of Theater and Music, has been appointed the new Director General of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). On Monday, the Ministry of Public Administration announced his appointment, declaring that Syed Jamil Ahmed has been appointed as the Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy for the next two years from the date of his joining, subject to severing work relationships with other institutions and organizations. Sabina Yesmin, Public Relations Officer of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, confirmed the news to UNB, stating that he will start his regular activities as the new Director General from the next working day. Syed Jamil Ahmed was born in Dhaka on April 7, 1955. He took part in the 1971 Liberation War at the age of sixteen, and graduated from the National School of Drama, India in 1978, obtaining first-class-first position. In 1989, he obtained a master's degree in theatre arts from the University of Warwick, England, and a PhD in 1997 from Dhaka University. Dr Syed Jamil Ahmed is the founder of the Department of Theater and Performance Studies of Dhaka University. He has been teaching in this department for more than 30 years. Liaquat Ali Lucky, the former Director General of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) who governed the organization for over a decade as its longest-reigning DG, resigned from his post on August 12 after the fall of the Hasina administration due to the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement. With Dr Jamil joining the country's top arts and culture organization, Bangladesh's cultural scene is set to undergo a major transformation as he brings a wealth of expertise and a new viewpoint.

The solo painting exhibition titled ‘Journey of the Cosmos’ by artist Masudur Rahman has begun at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD), Dhanmondi in the capital. The inaugural ceremony of this exhibition was held on Friday. Artist and critic Mostofa Zaman, Dhaka University Professor Emeritus at the Department of English Prof Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam, and eminent artist Monirul Islam were the special guests at the inaugural ceremony. Masudur Rahman’s journey as an artist is deeply rooted in his exploration of the vastness and emptiness characterising human consciousness. His works traverse the intricate interplay between form and formlessness, presenting a duality that is intrinsic to life itself. Through ‘Journey of the Cosmos’, Rahman offers us a window into his contemplative and philosophical approach to art, where the cosmic and the earthly converge in a seamless dance of abstraction and embodiment. He enjoys creating art through drawing, viewing it as a cosmic journey where lines serve as his spaceship. This perspective allows him to explore the mysterious depths of art, which he finds to be a source of joy in life; and he perceives the universe through his artwork, considering the human figure as central to everything. In Rahman’s own words, “The sense of vastness and space that is always awake in the mind of man gives immense depth to his creation, love, and life. This infinite emptiness is our basic form.” “I am created from within that void, once in form and once in formlessness. This dual form of shape and formlessness is ‘life,’ and this is how my artwork is an expression of embodiment and abstraction.” Masudur Rahman hails from Barishal, Bangladesh, and has been residing in Dhaka for the past 25 years. He engages in drawing and painting, favouring mediums like ink, acrylic, and watercolour, drawing inspiration from ancient Indian and Renaissance art; and his educational background includes a Master of Fine Arts and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Oriental Art from Dhaka University. The exhibition will be open to all till Saturday, September 14, Monday to Saturday from 3 pm to 9 pm (closed on Sunday).

A special group art exhibition titled ‘Art for Aid: Rebuilding Lives’ began Thursday at Gallery Cosmos in the capital, to support the victims of the recent catastrophic floods in 11 districts in the east of Bangladesh, that claimed over 60 lives and affected more than 5.5 million people. The waterlogged inhabitants in these 11 districts - Feni, Cumilla, Chattogram, Khagrachari, Noakhali, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Lakshmipur, and Cox's Bazar, are experiencing the havoc of the floods. Many public and private organizations have since stepped forward to provide financial and other necessary assistance for the flood victims. Showcasing its heartfelt support towards the flood-stricken people, the month-long exhibition was inaugurated at the Gallery Cosmos on Thursday morning, aiming to raise funds for the flood victims. All sales proceeds from this exhibition will be donated to flood relief. This special group art exhibition is featuring some of the unique and special artworks of 24 prominent and young Bangladeshi artists - Kalidas Karmakar, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Biren Shome, Alakesh Ghosh, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Farida Zaman, Jamal Ahmed, Rokeya Sultana, Shishir Bhattacharjee, Ahmed Shamsuddoha, Sheikh Afzal Hossain, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Mohammad Iqbal, Anukul Mazumder, Maksuda Iqbal Nipa, Nazia Andaleeb Preema,  Azmeer Hossain, Bishwajit Goswami, Abdullah Al Bashir, Sourav Chowdhury, Kamruzzoha, Shahanoor Mamun and Arif Bachchu.

"Art for Aid: Rebuilding Lives," a special month-long art exhibition, is set to commence at Cosmos Center, Dhaka, on September 5. Organized by Gallery Cosmos and Cosmos Atelier71, this event will run daily from 10 am to 5 pm till October 5. Gallery Director Tehmina Enayet is organising the art event. Featuring the works of 20 prominent artists, including Kalidas Karmakar, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Biren Shome, and Alakesh Ghosh, the exhibition aims to support victims of the recent flood by donating all proceeds from art sales to aid relief efforts. Guest attendance and support can make a significant impact on those in need. The Cosmos Center is located at 69/1 New Circular Road, Malibagh, Dhaka 1217.

Alliance Francaise de Dhaka (AFD), one of the regular and prominent venues of art exhibitions in the country, resumed its regular exhibitions on Thursday with the group exhibition titled ‘PSA: Beyond the Gaze’ at its La Galerie. The participating artists in this exhibition are Ashima Raizada, Jatin Gulati, Ritika Sharma, Kunga Tashi Lepcha, Rinoshan Susiman, Aniruddha Sarkar, and Arshadul Hoque Rocky. Artist and critic Mostofa Zaman and critic Moinuddin Khaled attended the inauguration event on Thursday as special guests. Displaying pieces from the PSA: Beyond the Gaze 2023–2024 workshop, supported by Photo South Asia, an initiative of the MurthyNayak Foundation, the exhibition is also in partnership with Alliance Francaise de Dhaka in Bangladesh and the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art in Delhi, India. A six-month workshop was held to initiate this exhibition, welcoming young photographers and lens-based artists from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The workshop was led by Soumya Sankar Bose (India) and Ashfika Rahman (Bangladesh), while Tanvi Mishra reviewed the editing. This workshop engaged participants in a discussion that explores photography as a social tool, dedicated to exploring different narratives from individual and collaborative vantage points. Participants are challenged to create a different narrative—one that not only records but also addresses a deep understanding of possibilities, where the entire community is included as collaborators. According to the exhibition’s note, the artists in this exhibition ruminate over these provocations, sieving through lived experiences, family histories, state narratives, telltales, myths, and collective memories. The group show is a testament to our times in which legacies, identities, gazes, norms, systems, and selves are conceived beyond set notions, and practitioners from parts of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka present stories of their dispositions through works that share a common ground of the present. The exhibition will be open to all till Monday, September 2, from 3 pm to 9 pm.

Liaquat Ali Lucky, the longest-tenured director general of the country’s principal state-sponsored national cultural centre, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), stepped down on Monday. Citing personal reasons, Lucky sent his resignation letter to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs via WhatsApp on Monday afternoon, according to multiple sources. Cultural Affairs Secretary Khalil Ahmed confirmed that the resignation letter was submitted to the ministry. Following the two-year term of the late distinguished writer and journalist Kamal Lohani, Liaquat Ali Lucky took charge of BSA as its Director General on April 7, 2011. Lucky's tenure as the Director General of BSA was extended for a record seventh time when he was reappointed in March 2023. He was frequently called upon to step down due to corruption, nepotism, and several other allegations. The Anti-Corruption Commission has questioned him on allegations of corruption back in 2022. Artists and theatre activists who have protested as part of the recent anti-discriminatory movement have also raised their voices against the corruption and injustice of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy during the tenure of Lucky and demanded his resignation several times. Since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister on August 5 and left the country, there have been reports of the resignation of the heads of various institutions. On Saturday, Bangla Academy Director General Professor Dr Md Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari also resigned from his post.

 Showcasing a united ovation to the resurgence of Bangladesh while demanding accountability across all sectors, and appropriate freedom of expression to build a country of harmony and solidarity - four artistic platforms organized a combined event on Saturday at the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital. All four platforms - The Visual Artistes' Society, Photographer Society, Protesting Theatre Activists, and Get Up and Stand Up (Bangladesh Musical Artists' Society) have been visibly present and raised their voices during the anti-discriminatory student movement separately, and this was the first time the artists, under the banner ‘Srishtir Shadhinotay Shahoshi Bangladesh’ (Brave Bangladesh for Freedom of Art) representing these four units, amalgamated to channel their united expressions. Standing side-by-side, the artists addressed the recent unrest in a unified statement, stating, "We have overthrown the dictator through a violent, nationwide rebellion spearheaded by our nation's youth. We bear a heavy heart for the martyrs who were ruthlessly murdered during Sheikh Hasina's regime; however, it is regrettable that we still lack a definite death toll and the identities of a large number of those who have passed away during the chaos." Aside from condemning the violence that followed the revolt, the artists demanded impartial inquiries into the demolition of temples and houses artists and media professionals, museums dedicated to the Liberation War, statues, historical structures, sculptures, and other cultural monuments. The alliance made a number of demands, including the following: the creation of a memorial (Shaheed Minar) to honour the martyrs; an immediate comprehensive list of all those killed during the anti-discrimination movement; guard of honor funerals for the departed and assistance for the injured; and a thorough investigation and trial of those accountable for the murders. Envisioning a real inclusive Bangladesh regardless of caste, colour, gender, ethnicity, or religion and asking for support "from the plains to the hills" in this next phase of national transformation while drawing comparisons to the student-led movement that sparked the resurgence of unity, the event was joined by eminent photographer Shahidul Alam, filmmaker Kamar Ahmed Simon, Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, rockstar Probar Ripon, actress Azmeri Haque Badhan, Zakia Bari Mamo, Rafiath Rashid Mithila, Safa Kabir, singer Armeen Musa, Khayam Sanu Sandhi and others.

Demanding safety, security and justice for acts of violence happening across the country, cultural activists expressed their concerns regarding the current state of the country. In a protest march and gathering organized by the theatre troupe Prachyanat and friends of the popular singer and cultural activist Rahul Ananda, whose house was vandalised and burnt on August 5, artists and activists urged the concerned authorities to take prompt actions against the violence. The artist community gathered under the banner of "Shilpa, Sthapona O Shilpangan Dhongsher Biruddhe Obosthhan" (Stand Against the Destruction of Art, Architecture, and Cultural Spaces) in front of the National Theatre Hall complex, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) and participated in a protest rally from BSA to the National Press Club on Wednesday. “In the last couple of weeks when the student-led quota reform protest was at its peak and turned into a massive movement demanding freedom and justice, the artist community joined the people with utmost support. Despite that, we are shocked to see the brutality against Prachyanat's theatre activist and Joler Gaan's frontman Rahul Ananda. We demand immediate action to protect not only the artist community but everyone, we want to see the end of violence,” Prachyanat Artistic Director and actor Azad Abul Kalam said at the event.  

Internationally renowned Bangladeshi artist Jahangir Hossain’s exclusive solo art exhibition “Winds of Flavour” began on Friday at the Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts, Badda in the capital. A total of 63 artworks are depicted in this exhibition, consisting of artworks mostly conducted in mixed media.  The exhibition's opening ceremony was held on Friday at 5:30 PM on the premises of Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts. Presided over by Nilu Rowshon Murshed, a profound Bangladeshi art patron and Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts chairperson, the opening ceremony was also joined by US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas alongside his wife Amy Haas. Argentine Ambassador Marcelo C Cesa, prominent international artist Monirul Islam, eminent art educators including artist Farida Zaman, artist Hamiduzzaman, artist Mohammed Eunus and  Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Md Nazrul Islam, were present as the guests of honor. Artist Jahangir Hossain’s art projects the stories of human lives and the life of the East merging with the Western contemporary form of painting. The artworks in this exhibition reflect versatile human figures, compositions, and philosophical paintings along with nature in Western contemporary forms. Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts (A project of Abinta Kabir Foundation) has always been a significant platform that has been spontaneously hosting exhibitions and art events – to promote the young and rising artists of Bangladesh for the prosperity of Bangladesh’s art and culture nationally and internationally. Considerably, the gallery, since its inception, has become an active hub of fine arts and creativity for the young and legendary artists of Bangladesh. The exhibition will remain open for visitors till July 27.  

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) hosted a theatrical performance by Laurie Cannac titled “Wolfed Down” on July 9 and 10 at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), Segun Bagicha, in the capital. Inspired by the famous European fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood” by the Brothers Grimm, this was a “one-woman show” and presented entirely in English by the very talented Laurie Cannac and a whole universe of puppets. Directed by Ilka Schönbein with Laurie Cannac’s design and interpretation, Wolfed Down was nominated for the Molières Jeune Public Prize in 2010. This “Gothic” version of Little Red Riding Hood builds an eclectic connection between the puppet and the actress’s body, explores its animistic power, and successfully combines poetry and a sense of humour.