Home ›› 24 May 2023 ›› Show Biz
The 12th solo painting exhibition by Laila Sharmeen titled ‘Golden Bengal’ has begun at the La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka.
The inaugural ceremony of the exhibition was held on Saturday on the gallery premise. Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury attended the event as the chief guest.
Ambassador of France to Bangladesh Marie Masdupuy, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) Chairman (Senior Secretary) Prof. Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exports Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan, were also present at 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. Around 30 artworks adorn the gallery space of the exhibition.
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 also features 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 visit 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.
Laila Sharmeen has showcased her works over 60 international group shows. In 2011 she won a Purchase Prize at the 16th Space International Print Biennial held at OCI Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea. She also showcased her works at the MEADOWS-Personal Structures project at Venice Biennale in 2017 and 2022.
The exhibition is open to all every day from 3 pm to 9 pm till May 29. (Closed on Sunday).
