The group art exhibition Sholo Rong-Sixteen Shades of the Sixteenth Batch was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon at Gallery Chitrak in Dhanmondi, Dhaka. The exhibition features artworks by 32 artists from the 16th batch of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, and will continue until 15 December 2025.
Renowned artist, former teacher of the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Dhaka, and Chairman of Art Bangla Foundation, Professor Mohammad Eunus, attended the event as the chief guest. Professor Moinuddin Khaled and Gallery Chitrak’s Executive Director Md. Muniruzzaman were present as special guests.
At the beginning of the ceremony, curator Rajib Ahmed said, Sixteen Shades signifies a reunion of our artistic journey and a rediscovery of identity. This exhibition is a journey inward. Many of us, despite long breaks, have remained deeply connected to art, and this exhibition symbolically represents a renewed embrace of creativity. The title Sixteen Shades reflects the multidimensional perspectives, methods, and emotional worlds of the batch.
Special guest Md. Muniruzzaman said, May Sixteen Shades reach the fullness of sixteen arts. I thank the 32 friends who organized this show with 60 artworks. There is truly no alternative to exhibitions. An exhibition is not only about buying and selling. Even if a viewer does not understand your artwork in one day, they may understand it in five. But exhibitions must happen. Perhaps even one viewer will come who truly values your work.
Professor Moinuddin Khaled said, one thing I noticed is that among the 32 artists, 21 are women. In our country, it becomes difficult for many to continue artistic practice while managing household responsibilities. Yet these women artists created their works while balancing family life, which is highly encouraging. Regarding the exhibition, everyone has presented simple yet powerful subjects instead of going through complex experimentation, which will connect well with the public.
Chief guest Professor Mohammad Eunus said, The 32 of you have come together again after your academic life and have presented such a beautiful exhibition. Many have painted after a long time. You have one identity—you are artists. You must continue practicing; without practice, one falls behind. You are engaged in different professions, yet you have created art. In the future, I hope to see solo exhibitions from each of the 32 artists.
The exhibition also pays tribute to their friend Zulkarnain Ashzadi (20 January 1989 – 11 May 2016) from the 16th batch of the Faculty of Fine Arts, who passed away prematurely.
In this exhibition, artists have expressed layers of emotion, memory, nature, urban life, and identity through new visual languages in drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, watercolour, ceramics, and crafts. It is a multidimensional artistic landscape combining tradition, experimentation, and contemporary expression.
Artworks by the following artists are featured in the exhibition: Rajib Ahmed, Nazmus Sakib, Md. Riad Hossain, Mehnaz Tabassum Ananna, Mohammad Ariful Islam (Arif), Arashatul Fatema Sultana, Happy Mondal, Sabrina Farah, Kamrun Nahar Moyna, Nafia Tabassum, Kohinoor Akter Mira, Tanjima Tabassum Easha (Labonno Easha), Upoma Das Trina, Sheikh Farhana Parveen Tumpa, Zahida Huq Chaiti, Aklima Iqbal, Sharmi Dasgupta, Soma Surovi Jannat, Anjumanara Sonia, Fahema Ahmed, Chanchal Kumar Biswas, Nazmun Nahar Akanda, Nahida Nisha, Shafiqul Islam Rajraj, Kazi Abu Abid, Mehedi Hassan Mithun, Smita Das Tuli, Ishita Islam, Smriti Khandakar, Liton Paul Rony, Habib Rahman
The exhibition will remain open to all every day from 11 AM to 8 PM.