Home ›› 20 May 2023 ›› Show Biz
The 12th solo painting exhibition by Laila Sharmeen titled ‘Golden Bengal’ will begin today at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka, Dhanmondi in the capital.
The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition will be held today at 6 pm at the gallery premises, where Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury will be present as the chief guest. Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy, Prof. Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, Chairman (Senior Secretary), Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), and Faruque Hassan, President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exports Association (BGMEA) will also attend the event as special guests.
Laila Sharmeen, known for her delicate use of colors and spontaneous brushstrokes, is set to enjoy Dhaka’s art spotlight as she exhibits her recent works in mixed medium on paper and acrylic on canvas, mostly done in the past two years.
Currently settled in Canada, Laila remained connected to her country of birth mentally and spiritually through her art and explored the beauty of the nature of Bangladesh in her ‘Golden Bengal’ series. Laila takes her creative inspiration from literature, philosophy, and myths of Bengal and from the writings of literary and philosophical icons such as T S Eliot, Jibanananda Das, Kant, Derrida, and Foucault. In her work, one finds kash and hyacinth flowers, paddy fields, rivers, birds, butterflies, fish, fireflies, and the vast openness of the sky.
The show will also feature her new installation, ‹Return to Nature,› featuring vegetable seed pouches coiled like a snake on the floor of the gallery, designed to engage with spectators while they will be visiting the show. The pouches will be given away and with a request to sow the seeds in their kitchen gardens. Through this installation, she not only wants her audience to view her artworks but also wants them to have a unified experience with the exhibits and, in the process, create awareness on deforestation and global warming, and send a clarion call to return to nature.
Around 30 artworks will adorn the gallery space of the exhibition.
Laila Sharmeen has showcased her works over 60 international group shows. The exhibition will remain open to all every day from 3 pm to 9 pm till May 29. (closed on Sunday).
