Laila Sharmeen’s ‘Golden Bengal’ kicks-off at AFD tomorrow

Laila Sharmeen's 12th solo art exhibition, "Golden Bengal" will kick-off at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka tomorrow, May 20. The artworks on display reflect her childhood memories of growing up in Gendaria, among several elements of 'Shonar Bangla', like the tranquility of an untouched nature, or things like zingey phool or jonaki poka.

Most of her artworks are semi-abstract in style. They feature simple elements such as a banana tree, a thatched-roof cottage, a rainbow, and white ducks with orange beaks. These are regarded to be external manifestations of who she was and continues to be internally. The upcoming exhibition will also feature installation art—containing seeds of several vegetables arranged inside jute bags for the audience to take home.

Sharmeen is known for her delicate use of colours and spontaneous brushstrokes, and is looking forward to the exhibition where she will be sharing works in mixed medium on paper and acrylic on canvas. "I wish to explore the beauty of nature through this series. It is just my attempt at reminiscing about the Bangladesh I grew up in, and looking back at nature from my earliest memories. It has been a wonderful experience creating art, and I hope viewers enjoy the exhibition as much as I enjoyed creating them," she shared.

"Golden Bengal" will run till May 29.