Department of Drawing and Painting of University of Dhaka (DU) has organised a weeklong solo painting exhibition by promising Japanese artist Asami Shiode. The exhibition, titled “Phase Transition – Existence of On and Off”, is a part of an exchange programme between Department of Drawing and Painting of DU and Department of Oil Painting, Tokyo University of Arts where the featured artist is currently studying MFA.  

Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Vice Chancellor of DU and Pierre Mayaudon, Ambassador of the European Union to Bangladesh, jointly inaugurated the exhibition as chief guests on March 10. Art connoisseur Moshiul Azam Shajal attended the event as special guest. Professor Nisar Hossain, Dean and Chairman of the Department of Drawing and Painting of FFA, and Dr. Mohammad Iqbal, Assistant Professor of the department were present among others at the ceremony. 

Asami Shiode previously completed both her BFA and MFA in Painting from Onimichi City University, Japan. The artist has four solos and 15 group exhibitions in Japan to her credit. She also bagged several awards for her artistic excellence. This is the artist's first solo exhibition outside Japan. 

The artist has a good command over science especially in the fields of Mathematics and Chemistry. Earlier, she wanted to become a cartoonist but later, she shifted her creative passion to painting. A total of 55 artworks on oil and mixed media including an installation are on display at the exhibit. Asami Shiode also showcased a performance art on the opening day.

Japanese art exemplifies a distinctive taste of subtlety, incorporation of tiny scribbles and a sobriety of colours. Keeping enough space on canvases, Shiode portrayed her paintings with a mature hue of light burnt sienna and blue. She has tried to depict the transition of water in different states -- solid, liquid and vapour -- depending on various temperatures. She also used forms of other important matters like air and hard materials in her painting as well. In her paintings, she has signified the white portion as the existence of 'On' and black portion as 'Off' and vice versa to attribute the transition of phases. 

The exhibition, running from 11am to 7pm daily, will end on March 16.