In Quest of Peace: A reunion of Colours in a restless time
A long-standing collective of female artists reunites to offer moments of calm through their latest exhibition at Alliance Française de Dhaka
In times like this, a bit of solace feels necessary. This very call shapes the new group exhibition, 'In Quest of Peace', at Alliance Française de Dhaka. The show's aim is to ask visitors to pause, to look, and to let art offer a brief moment of balance.
The exhibition is led by Colours, an artist collective made up of 13 contemporary female artists who once shared the same classrooms at Dhaka University decades ago. Eight of them are taking part in this edition.
The group began in 2016. It grew from regular conversations and shared interests. Over time, the members realised that their friendships and their artistic lives were deeply linked.
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They wanted to shift the focus of their daily routines and give more space to artistic practice. What began as simple meetings became a steady journey.
Nine years of discussions, collective planning, and individual work have shaped a sense of confidence among the members. They have spent decades together, both as students and as colleagues in various art circles. This exhibition is their twelfth as a collective.
The works on display show how wide the group's practices have become. Each artist approaches form and material through a personal route.
Farhana Afroz Bappy brings acrylic paintings that create a gentle illusion. She has long worked with lithography, woodcut, etching, and engraving. Yet she chose acrylic for this exhibition.
Her control of the medium is amazingly firm. Her pieces in the 'Jolbindu' series appear almost like watercolour at first sight. The layers of purple and blue create a soft rhythm. Viewers often feel as if they have stepped into a quiet dream.
Farzana Islam Milky stands firmly within sculpture. She works with everyday items such as torn paper and cardboard. She reshapes these materials into expressive figures.
In 'Shepherd', a man plays his flute as a goat walks beside him. The scene carries a sense of a fading rural memory. Another work, 'Couple', shows two people walking together, with a rose held lightly in the man's hand. Milky's figures seem to reach outward, as if they are close to speaking.
Monira Sultana Mukta offers terracotta plaques painted in bold, unconventional tones. Her treatment of terracotta pushes it away from its usual earthy impression. The surface becomes a site for colour experiments. Her plaques suggest a search for new ways to frame traditional materials.
Rebeka Sultana focuses on repeated motifs and forms. In this exhibition she plays with blue and green. The repetition builds a rhythm that feels steady.
The works of Rehana Yeasmin stand out in their physical presence. She uses clay to form small groups of pigeons. They sit near trees, windows, or one another, as if caught in quiet conversations.
The scenes show family and friendship as simple, peaceful acts. The liveliness of the birds invites viewers to step closer and imagine themselves inside the moment.
Rifat Jahan Kanta paints with a calm structure. Her works seem simple from a distance. As viewers approach, they notice a dense monochrome pattern beneath the surface.
She paints red hibiscus on blue backgrounds, with white leaves and fine black lines. The details reveal themselves slowly and give the viewer a sense of rest.
Shaila Akhter leans towards semi abstraction — she arranges semi realistic shapes on her canvas. The pieces hold a balance between form and suggestion. Her work allows viewers to read their own interpretations into each scene.
Sharmin Siraji brings her focus to the lotus and the lily. She paints the national flower of Bangladesh in shifting palettes and from varied angles. Her brushwork is confident — he uses strong combinations, particularly blue, red, and green.
Although she now lives in the US, she travelled to Dhaka for the exhibition.
The event was inaugurated by Dhaka University Professor Mohammad Eunus, who once taught these artists. In his speech he spoke about the role of art during volatile times. He praised the group for its commitment and unity.
His words echoed the intention of the exhibition itself. He reminded the audience that art can offer small but necessary intervals of reflection.
The show opened on 6 December and will end tomorrow.
TBS Picks:
Friends by Rehana Yeasmin
The artwork shows a small group of pigeons gathered beside a banyan root on the cracks of an old wall. They appear settled in their familiar afternoon routine of quiet chatter and grooming. The scene draws the viewer in with ease, as if the birds are leaving space for one more presence among them. One pigeon leans forward, close to stepping off the root, which gives the composition a sense of movement. Each element is shaped with careful attention, and the details hold the viewer's eye.
The Heart Becomes Bird by Shaila Akhter
The Heart Becomes Bird depicts a lone bird in flight. The background is built with deep blue and black acrylic, which creates an atmosphere of shadow and uncertainty. Against this, small touches of yellow and green appear around the figure, giving the subject a sense of courage, hope, and resilience.
Childhood by Farzana Islam Milky
Milky's skill in shaping sculptures from ordinary materials such as newspapers is clear in this piece as well. She builds a three dimensional scene that immediately holds the viewer's attention. In her 'Childhood', a small boy rides on the back of a goat, a sight once familiar in many villages. The moment carries a sense of nostalgia and recalls a rhythm of life that has largely faded.
