National Art Exhibition concludes

The 23rd National Art Exhibition has recently concluded at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA). Bringing together artists from different age groups, working with different mediums and techniques, the exhibition has, over the years, become a platform that encourages exchange of ideas between artists, critics and art enthusiasts.

Renowned artist Professor Mostafizul Haque, one of the selectors of the exhibition, attended the concluding ceremony as honourable guest while art critics Mustafa Zaman and Shawn Akhand presented their reviews and suggestions at the programme. Ashraful Alam Paplu, Director of the Department of Fine Arts, BSA, delivered the welcome address while Liaquat Ali Lucky, Director General of BSA presided over the programme.

This exhibition is organised biennially by the Department of Fine Arts, BSA. Initiated in 1975, the exhibition has so far earned recognition from art-lovers as a celebration of modern artworks by artists from across the nation.

This year’s exhibition featured a display of 322 artworks by 310 artists. The participants have expressed their artistic feelings and thoughts through watercolour, oil, mixed media and acrylic paintings, as well as sculptures, prints, crafts, ceramics, installations, videos and performing arts.

The artworks at the exhibition possessed distinctively local characteristics in terms of forms, subjects and aesthetics. The artists’ mode of expressions were varied -- realistic, semi-realistic, pure-abstraction, semi-abstraction, abstract expressionism, expressionism, impressionism and neo-expressionism. The participating artists’ tended to experiment with new mediums and their works were suggestive of those traits.