written by: News Desk
The annual art exhibition of the Department of Drawing and Painting at the Faculty of Fine Art, University of Dhaka, has opened at Zainul Gallery. Featuring selected works by 72 students from the BFA and MFA programmes, the exhibition brings together diverse artistic approaches, mediums and experimental practices by emerging artists.
The exhibition was inaugurated on Monday, 24 August 2026, at Zainul Gallery. On the occasion, an opening ceremony was held at Osman Jamal Auditorium of the Faculty of Fine Art, where Professor Dr. Abdus Salam, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) of the University of Dhaka, attended as the chief guest. Following the inauguration, he toured the exhibition and presented certificates and awards to the winning students.
The ceremony was chaired by Professor Dr. Mohammad Iqbal Ali, Chairman of the Department of Drawing and Painting. Professor Dr. Md. Azharul Islam Sheikh, Dean of the Faculty of Fine Art, and engineer Mainul Abedin attended as special guests and delivered remarks. Rakin Nawar, Convener of the Exhibition Organising Committee, delivered the welcome address.
Nurturing New Possibilities in Art Practice
In his opening remarks, Professor Dr. Abdus Salam highlighted the educational and cultural contributions of the Faculty of Fine Art. He noted the institution’s longstanding role in preserving and advancing Bangladesh’s cultural heritage, as well as its engagement with major democratic movements in the country’s history, including the Language Movement, the Liberation War, the Mass Uprising of 1990 and the 2024 Mass Uprising.
He encouraged students to take their creative practices beyond the academic environment and present their work to wider international audiences. He also called upon teachers and students of the Faculty of Fine Art to play a meaningful role in building a drug-free society and protecting young people from the harmful effects of drug abuse.
According to him, annual exhibitions of this kind encourage students to become more dedicated, hardworking and motivated in their artistic pursuits.
13 Students Receive Awards
A total of 13 students received awards in different categories and mediums at this year’s exhibition.
MFA second-part student Jhalak Saha received the Anwarul Haque Award for the Best Work Across All Media. BFA fourth-year student Saikat Kumar Mistry received the Rafiqun Nabi Special Award as the best artist at the BFA level.
Nihha Rani Das, an MFA second-part student, received the Best Medium Award for Experimental Work. BFA fourth-year student Mst. Momenun Nessa Surma received the Best Medium Award in Oil Painting, while BFA third-year student Abhijit Chandra Dey received the same distinction in Watercolour. BFA second-year student Tasnim Tarek Turna was awarded Best Medium in Pencil.
MFA second-part student Md. Fahim Chowdhury received the Best Award in Drawing. The Kazi Abdul Baset Memorial Award went to BFA fourth-year student Al-Furqan Nayan, while MFA first-part student Naihrita Pal Krishna received the Delwar Hossain Memorial Award.
The Mahbubul Amin Memorial Award was presented to MFA second-part student Mong Sonai Rakhine, while MFA second-part student Debajyoti Barshan received the Motlab Ali Memorial Award. The Shaheed Shahnewaz Memorial Award went to BFA first-year student Shashwata Majumdar Kabya. BFA first-year student Priyas Das received the Special Award in Pencil.
From Academic Practice to Exhibition Space
The annual exhibition provides an important platform for bringing the academic and studio-based practices of young artists into a broader public sphere. With works by students from different years presented together, the exhibition offers an overview of varied approaches to image-making, medium and visual language.
Alongside established practices in drawing and painting, the exhibition also reflects attempts to explore experimental approaches and develop new visual vocabularies. In this sense, the event extends beyond an annual academic assessment; it becomes a space where emerging artists can articulate their ideas, refine their artistic languages and engage with audiences.
As part of the long artistic legacy of the Faculty of Fine Art, the exhibition also offers an opportunity to observe emerging directions in contemporary art practice while highlighting the creative potential of a new generation of artists.
The exhibition will remain open at Zainul Gallery until 30 August 2026, from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily.
