Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed’s solo exhibition ‘Debris’ opens at AFD

The solo painting exhibition titled "Debris" by Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed opened its doors at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi, yesterday. The event boasts almost 30 acrylic works on board paper, offering viewers a glimpse into the artist's latest explorations.

Eminent artist Monirul Islam attended the inauguration ceremony as the chief guest. Mustafa Zaman, director of the Department of Fine Arts, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, also joined the occasion as the special guest.

The artist Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed has lived through the 1971 war. Today, he is forced to witness entirely man-made destruction in regions such as Syria, Russia, Kashmir, and Myanmar.

These tragedies, driven by the pursuit of power and control, have profoundly shaped his worldview. 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 shared 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. 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'," he added.

The highly accomplished artist Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed held his first exhibition in 1987. He 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 open-to-all exhibition will run until May 31 (Saturday),  from Monday to Saturday, between 3pm to 9pm.

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