AFD hosting special exhibition on Gautam Buddha

La Galerie at Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) is currently hosting a group art exhibition titled “From Suffering to Liberation: Buddha of Bengal.”

The exhibition, which started on Wednesday, features 50 artists from Bangladesh and India’s West Bengal, exploring traditional expressions of Buddhist Sacred Art within the region.

The event was inaugurated by the Buddhist Vante Sanghananda Mohathero, the high priest of Sylhet Bouddho Bihar, who was also the chief guest.

MS Nilu Rowshon Murshed, the chairperson of Abinta Gallery of Fine Arts; François Grosjean, director of AFD; and Dr Saymon Zakaria, Bangladeshi folk researcher and deputy director of the Development of Culture, Bangla Academy, also attended the event as special guests.

Organised by Oriental Painting Study Group and curated by Mikhail I Islam of Learning Design Studio, the exhibition features over 50 stunning artworks, including paintings, sculptures, pottery wash, gosh, tempera, palm leaf, tea leaf, straw sculpture and pot painting, and has already impressed art enthusiasts and visitors.

The artists have depicted the four chapters of Gautam Buddha’s life — birth, renunciation, attaining Buddhahood and mahaparinirvana — through their paintings and sculptures.

Buddhist art has always been a significant influence in guiding souls towards spiritual freedom, and the exhibition aims to promote peace, solidarity and harmony in the world by showcasing the ideals, philosophy, and glory of Gautam Buddha’s life in art.

The exhibition will remain open to the public until May 15. Visiting hours are 3pm to 9pm from Monday to Saturday. The exhibition is closed on Sundays.