This exhibition celebrates 50 years of Bangladesh, showcasing its vibrant arts and distinct culture from the past, the present and the future. Beginning with the early modernists Zainul Abedin, S.M. Sultan, Rashid Choudhury, Murtaja Baseer and Debdas Chakraborty who were also teachers, followed by Mohammad Kibria who initiated the practice of pure abstract art and enabled it to flourish as one of the strongest abstract expressionism movements in all of Asia, producing globally acclaimed artists like Monirul Islam, Qayyum Chowdhury, Hashim Khan, Shahabuddin Ahmed, Kalidas Karmakar, Biren Shome, Shahid Kabir, Abdus Shakoor, Kamal Kabir, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Mahbubur Rahman, Mohammad Eunus, Mahmudul Haque, Mohammad Iqbal, Anisuzzaman Anis and Biswajit Goswami. Renowned abstract artists from the diaspora include Alamgir Huque (Saskatoon), Syed Iqbal, Tajuddin Ahmed, Iftikaruddin Ahmed (Toronto), Mohammad Fakruzzaman (London, UK) and Md. Tokon (New York). Strong female voices include Farida Zaman, Rokeya Sultana, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Dilara Begum Jolly, Tayeba Begum Lipi, Nazia Andaleeb Preema, Kuhu Plamondon, Vinita Karim, Bipasha Hayat and Maksuda Iqbal Nipa.

Curated by Ali Adil Khan and Ruxmini Choudhury

Image: Syed Iqbal, Tears of Nature, Acrylic on canvas, 5.5 x 18 ft, 2021

.

The Art Gallery of Mississauga is a guest upon the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit. This ancient land is part of the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the traditional homelands of the Anishinaabe, Wendat, and Haudenosaunee nations.