United News of Bangladesh

Art Dhaka, a new art fair bringing traditional and contemporary artistic practices into a shared space, will hold its inaugural edition from November 6 to 10, featuring a curated fair alongside exhibitions, installations, performances and other public engagements with art. Founded by Durjoy Rahman, Nahar Khan, Fahd Sattar and Aumia Khundkar, Art Dhaka seeks to create a platform for artists, galleries, collectors, institutions and wider audiences to engage with a diverse range of artistic practices. The four founders bring experience spanning art, culture, business, media and creative practice. Durjoy Rahman is the Founder of Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation; Nahar Khan is the Founder of Solis, and Executive Editor of United News of Bangladesh (UNB); Fahd Sattar is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aloki and the Co-Founder of Dhaka Makers; and Aumia Khundkar is the Managing Editor of ICE Today, ICE Business Times and is associated with Dhaka Makers. The fair’s curatorial direction will be led by Mustafa Zaman, Zihan Karim and Najmun Nahar Keya, who will oversee the artistic vision and selection of participating artists. Rather than focusing on a single period or style, Art Dhaka intends to present traditional, modern and contemporary works alongside one another, bringing different artistic traditions and generations into a shared setting. The organisers aim to strengthen connections between artists and the wider art ecosystem, creating opportunities for exchange among galleries, collectors, institutions and audiences. The fair is also intended to provide established and emerging artists with opportunities to present their work and reach new audiences. Expanding access to art and art collecting is another key objective. The organisers aim to make art more accessible to wider audiences, encouraging more people to discover, engage with and acquire works while supporting artists. The five-day programme will extend beyond the art fair to include exhibitions, installations, performances and other forms of engagement to offer visitors a range of ways to encounter art. Through its inaugural edition, Art Dhaka aims to establish a platform for artistic discovery, exchange and wider public engagement with Bangladesh’s diverse art practices. Art Dhaka will run from November 6 to 10 at Aloki, Dhaka. The fair will be open to visitors from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.  Further information and updates are available on Instagram at artdhaka.fair (https://instagram.com/artdhaka.fair?psln=MXZqbm8wazZoMWdpdQ%3D%3D) and Facebook at (https://www.facebook.com/share/1FxaV4gvV3/?mibextid=wwXIfr).  

Oitijhya Book Carnival 2026 organised by creative publishing house Oitijhya will begin on Bangla Academy premises in Dhaka on Thursday. The carnival will remain open to visitors daily from 10 am to 9 pm until October 31. Its informal inauguration is scheduled for 10:15 am on October 15. This year's theme is “Stories of a New Day on the Pages of Oitijhya”. The event aims to bring readers, writers, publishers and book lovers closer to literature and creative expression. The 17-day carnival will feature a range of daily programmes, including Writers' Day, Book Influencer Day, children's drawing and storytelling competitions, a children's art exhibition, typography and calligraphy workshops, an open-air podcast, Club Day and Publishers' Day. Other attractions include a tree-identification programme at Bangla Academy, a solo play titled “Shahid Qadri” and musical evenings. New book launches will also be held throughout the event, with 17 new titles, including collected works, scheduled to be unveiled over the 17 days. Book lovers will have the opportunity to purchase books at special discounts. Oitijhya will offer discounts of up to 71 percent on books in stock and up to 60 percent on its collected works. Individual volumes of collected works will be available for Tk 150 to Tk 200. Visitors purchasing books in any quantity will receive a free bookmark. Other participating publishers will also offer special discounts on their publications. Alongside Oitijhya, the participating publishers and brands include Ilham, Kakatuya, Gripper Mark, Nirbachito, Nu Books, Red and Dhrubapad. Nirbachito Pakerghor will serve as the event's food partner. Oitijhya organises the carnival annually as its flagship event, combining book launches and cultural activities with opportunities for readers to discover books and engage with the literary community.

A group exhibition titled ‘Unbroken Line’ (Apromeyo Rekha), featuring drawings by 42 established, mid-career and emerging artists spanning seven decades of artistic practice, is underway at Bengal Shilpalay in the capital. Organised by Bengal Foundation, the exhibition opened on October 9 and will continue until October 30 at the Kamrul Hasan Exhibition Room on Level 1 of Bengal Shilpalay in Dhanmondi. Prominent art critic and writer Moinuddin Khaled and Professor Shishir Bhattacharjee, dean of the Faculty of Design and Technology at Shanto-Mariam University of Creative Technology, jointly inaugurated the exhibition. Professor A K M Moinul Islam of the Department of Ceramics and Sculpture at Rajshahi University and artist Soma Surovi Jannat also attended the opening as special guests. The exhibition brings together works by pioneers of modern art in Bangladesh and the wider region, including Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan and Safiuddin Ahmed, alongside artists from subsequent generations. The participating artists include Aminul Islam, Anjay Kumar, Bipul Shahriar, Bipasha Hayat, Dhali Al Mamoon, Farah Naz Moon, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Hritendra Kumar Sharma, Imam Hossain Sumon, Ismail, Ismat Azim, Israt Jahan Tanni, Jannatun Noor Saymum, Jogen Chowdhury, Kalidas Karmakar, Kazi Abdul Baset, Lalu Prasad Shaw, Mainul Islam Pal, Md Arman Chowdhury, Md Munem Shahriar, Md Saifullah Abir, Mishkatul Abir, Murtaja Baseer, Mustafa Zaman, Nasir Ahmed, Nazneen Ahmed, Noor-e-Amena, Paritosh Sen, Qayyum Chowdhury, Rafiqun Nabi, Rikel Chakma, Sanat Kumar, Sanjoy Kumar Sutradhar, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Liton Chandra Sarkar, Cynthia Akter Shanta, SM Sultan, Syed Zakir Emon and Tayeba Begum Lipi, among others. Through a diverse range of works, ‘Unbroken Line’ traces how drawing in Bangladesh has evolved beyond its traditional roles in academic art education and social and political documentation to emerge as an independent and multilayered medium of contemporary artistic expression. The exhibition also highlights the diversity of approaches to drawing across generations, bringing together established masters and emerging practitioners. The inclusion of works representing both Dhaka-based and regional art institutions offers an opportunity to explore varied artistic perspectives and experimental practices. By presenting works from different periods and artistic backgrounds, the exhibition reflects the changing language of drawing and its continuing relevance to contemporary art, according to the organizers. The exhibition is open to all and can be visited daily from 4 to 8 pm until October 30 at Bengal Shilpalay, House 42, Road 27 (new Road 16), Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209.

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) hosted 'Ghazal Evening: A Tribute to Jagjit Singh' on Saturday, bringing together music lovers for a houseful evening celebrating the timeless melodies and enduring legacy of legendary ghazal singer Jagjit Singh. The concert offered an intimate musical experience centred on the expressive beauty of ghazals, a genre celebrated for its poetic depth, emotional resonance and delicate interplay of melody and words. Through soulful renditions and evocative compositions, the evening paid tribute to Jagjit Singh’s distinctive musical style and his lasting influence on generations of listeners across the subcontinent. The programme featured Bangladeshi ghazal singer Manzurul Islam Khan, accompanied by guest artist Afsana Runa, with Indrani Nishi as the host.

Cultural organisation Chhayanaut is set to organise its annual Autumn programme jointly with St Joseph Higher Secondary School on Friday, bringing together students from several educational institutions through music, dance and other cultural performances. Titled 'Jog De Re Aj Saman Tane', the programme will begin at 7:30 am at the St Joseph Higher Secondary School premises at 97 Asad Avenue in Mohammadpur. A second joint programme, also titled “Jog De Re Aj Saman Tane,” is scheduled for Saturday at St Gregory’s High School and College, with participation from St Gregory’s, Nalanda High School and Chhayanaut.  Students and performers from St Joseph Higher Secondary School, St Joseph International School, Excel Academy, Nalanda High School and Chhayanaut will take part in the programme, which will remain open to all.

Dolly Parton's diverse legacy is being celebrated at a new museum and themed hotel in Nashville, showcasing different chapters of the late singer and entertainer's life and career. Parton's longtime creative director, Steve Summers, designed hundreds of dresses and outfits for the singer each year, giving him a close view of the many stages of her career. "Every person in here has a different Dolly Parton that they are in love with," Summers told fans gathered Tuesday for the opening of the museum dedicated to Parton, who died in August at age 80. The 20,000-square-foot Dolly's Life of Many Colors Museum features exhibits highlighting various parts of Parton's life and legacy, including her Smoky Mountain roots, Dollywood, movie career, fashion, faith, family and the Imagination Library. "You've got to find her and find out where you fell in love with her and then follow the path from there. So I think the journey is what most people are going to enjoy the most," Summers said. The museum is housed inside the 240-room Dolly Parton's SongTeller, a themed hotel whose lobby and open spaces are decorated with glitter, rhinestones, guitars, butterflies, portraits of Parton and an abundance of pink. The building also features two performance venues, a cafe and hotel rooms equipped with musical instruments to encourage guests to write songs. Among the museum's key attractions is Parton's original wedding dress, which she wore when she married her husband, Carl Dean. The dress was thought to have been lost until Parton's niece Rebecca Seaver, who is curating the museum, discovered it about a year ago wrapped in a paper bag and tucked inside a trunk, Summers said. For many people who worked closely with Parton, the opening of the museum and hotel is a bittersweet occasion because she is not there to see the project inspired by her. "We were as surprised as anybody that she's not here to see it," Summers said. "It's beautiful to get to see all of her work come to life, and it's hard to know that she won't ever have seen it."

Dr Saimum Parvez, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Environment, Forest and Climate Change, visited the July Uprising Memorial Museum on Tuesday afternoon and reviewed a collection of documents, artifacts and other materials preserved to record political repression, killings, enforced disappearances and the July Uprising. The visit offered Dr Parvez an opportunity to examine firsthand a range of historical records, including official documents retrieved from Ganabhaban and evidentiary materials documenting what the museum described as state-sponsored repression of political parties during the previous authoritarian regime. Upon his arrival, he was received by Ehasan Mahamud, Director General of the museum.  

The Photoseum Foundation, a government-registered foundation seeking to establish a photography-centred museum in Dhaka, has formally begun its activities with the first meeting of its nine-member Trustee Board on Saturday. Ekushey Padak-winning photographer and writer Nasir Ali Mamun, founder of the foundation, will serve as the president of the Trustee Board. Mamun is widely regarded as a pioneer of portrait photography in Bangladesh. The board comprises Mir Moinul Omar as general secretary and KM Haris Adil as treasurer, while Anisul Hoque, Dr Bimal Guha, Dr Mohammad Abdul Hai Siddiqui, Dr Saymon Zakaria, Dr Kudrat-E-Huda and Fakir Mohammad Abdul Mannan are members. The foundation said its core concept is to establish a photography-centred museum through crowdfunding and called on interested individuals and institutions at home and abroad to extend financial support to the initiative. According to the foundation, Photoseum is envisioned as possibly the first photography-centred museum in South Asia. The museum will be established in Dhaka as a public-interest cultural institution dedicated to preserving and permanently displaying people, time and history through photography. Its planned permanent collection will include selected portraits of prominent personalities from Bangladesh and around the world, along with their handwritten autographs, manuscripts, diaries, letters and other unique personal belongings. The museum will also feature artworks and self-portraits created by notable personalities, as well as previously unpublished audio-visual materials from Mamun’s collection spanning nearly six decades. Rare negatives and gelatin silver prints will also be preserved and displayed through modern curatorial methods, the foundation said. Photoseum considers photographs not merely images but important visual records that can preserve individual lives, the social and political realities of particular periods, historical events and memories of a disappearing world. Preserving such photographs as historical documents for future generations is one of the foundation’s key objectives, it said. The first Trustee Board meeting brought the long-standing initiative under a formal legal and institutional framework, marking a new phase in the establishment of the proposed museum.

The man who was taken from a Dhaka home at dawn on August 30, 1971, is the man whose tune we sing as we walk barefoot every February 21 in the dawn procession. What happened after he was taken has no grave and no record. All that remains are the memories of a few people who came back from the very edge of death. Some of those memories made it onto the stage at Chhayanaut auditorium on Saturday evening. Smriti 71 organized a program on the liberation war of Shaheed Altaf Mahmud, composer of "Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushey February," and the astonishing survival stories of his comrades. The biggest news of the evening came right at the start. On behalf of Smriti 71, it was announced that a research grant will be offered to recover Altaf Mahmud's lost songs. Making the announcement in his welcome address, Faruk H Khan said: "Altaf Mahmud left behind not one song but many. A large part of them is lost today. Some exist in no recording, some are fading in people's memories. The tune that gave us Ekushey, we will bring back the rest of it." He called on researchers, music lovers and young people to come forward. That dawn In late August 1971, Dhaka's guerrillas had been robbing the Pakistani army of sleep with one strike after another. On August 29, Badi, Rumi, Jewel and Azad were captured. A lead from one of the detainees brought soldiers to Altaf Mahmud's door. At dawn they found a trunk in his home filled with weapons and ammunition. A singer, a composer, a figure everyone knew as an artist, had been quietly keeping the weapons of the liberation war under his own roof. No one saw him again after that day. It is believed that he was killed in the first week of September, after torture at the army camp in Nakhalpara. The others who were arrested are believed to have met the same fate. Those who came back Taking the stage to speak of those days were comrade and painter Abul Barq Alvi, banker Nasser Bakhtiar, and singers Linu Billah and Khanu Billah. One spent his life in banking, others in music. But in 1971 they were all inside a war where being captured usually meant never returning.

Bangladeshi artist Dr Abu Kalam Shamsuddin is set to present his solo exhibition ‘The Song of Agony: Arishadvarga’ at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) from Friday. The exhibition, opening at 6 pm on Oct 2, draws on the Indian philosophical concept of Arishadvarga, or Shadripu, referring to six inner enemies of human nature: Kama (desire), Krodha (anger), Lobha (greed), Moha (delusion or attachment), Mada (pride) and Matsarya (jealousy). Through a series of paintings, Shamsuddin explores how these impulses influence human behaviour and relationships while affecting the balance between humans and nature. The exhibition also encourages viewers to reflect on their own desires, actions and responsibilities. “I feel that, as an artist, I also have a responsibility towards the environment and the world,” the artist said. Beyond individual introspection, the works address the environmental consequences of unchecked desires and self-centred behaviour, highlighting issues including deforestation, ecological imbalance, wildlife protection and the preservation of natural habitats. Shamsuddin has drawn inspiration from the techniques of Ajanta cave paintings and Thangka art, combining them with contemporary materials and textured surfaces. Sand, mud, zinc oxide and acrylic paint are used to create tactile surfaces and asymmetrical compositions. Earthy browns, muted blues, yellow-greens and shades of gold dominate the palette, while the interplay of colour, texture and form explores consciousness, conflict, transformation and spiritual awakening. Gold, in particular, represents the possibility of inner transformation and greater self-awareness. “The exhibition seeks to reveal the hidden connections between human desires, our behaviour, and the natural world, encouraging us to recognise and reconsider the consequences of our actions,” Shamsuddin said. Open to all, the exhibition will remain open to visitors from Oct 3 to 13, daily from 3 pm to 9 pm at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka, 26 Mirpur Road, Dhanmondi.