Country’s leading printmakers showcase their mastery through ‘Second Impression’

34 MIN(s)

Aishwarya Raihan

Photos: Aishwarya Raihan

Printmaking is one of the most complicated forms of traditional art. A seemingly simple process of drawing reaches a whole new level of technical complexity, allowing the same piece of art to be reproduced accurately. Describing the art of printmaking, American artist Kiki Smith once compared it to a mystery that one must learn to rein in. Since its independence, Bangladesh has seen its fair share of talented printmakers emerge over the decades.

Unless someone is an avid art enthusiast or deeply immersed in artistic practices, chances are they know little about printmaking. Through the exhibition “Second Impression”, Bengal Shilpalay offers visitors, particularly the younger generation, an opportunity to become acquainted with nine of the country’s master painter-printmakers.

Senior artists who flourished in the 1980s and younger artists who have been developing their practices since the 2000s have come together to showcase their distinctive printmaking techniques alongside their paintings, adorning the walls of the Quamrul Hassan Exhibition Hall at Bengal Shilpalay.

The exhibition was inaugurated on September 10, 2026, with Zahir Uddin Swapon, MP, Political Adviser to the Prime Minister, attending as chief guest.

The participating artists are Monirul Islam, Syed Abul Barq Alvi, Shahid Kabir, Mahmudul Haque, Kalidas Karmakar, Rokeya Sultana, Anisuzzaman Anis, Farzana Ahmed Urmi, and Abdullah Al Bashir.

Trained in the disciplined language of matrices, plates, and stones, printmakers move fluidly between printmaking and painting. Each artist also brings foundational training in oil and acrylic painting to their expansive creative practice.

While drawing and painting rely on direct gestures, printmaking tests an artist’s patience through a repetitive process. Treating the canvas as a space for exploration through systematic layering, printmaking challenges the notion of a single, perfect artwork and reveals endless possibilities for a particular piece.

However, showcasing only prints or paintings would not fully capture the versatile artistic visions of these artists. Thus, both forms of work are on display.

Upon entering the exhibition, Rokeya Sultana’s vibrant paintings immediately captivated me. They exist somewhere between reality and whimsy, as though the colours of our surroundings have been heightened to stir the senses.

Farzana Ahmed Urmi elaborated on the rigorous process of printmaking, particularly lithography. She also explained the importance of incorporating conventionally risky colours into paintings. One of her works resembles a melting sun in a forest, where a person sits peacefully.

Bangladeshi-Spanish artist Monirul Islam’s abstract and geometric works are displayed in all their glory.

Anisuzzaman, alongside his abstract expressionist works, presents remarkably detailed depictions of construction sites, where every RCC bar appears countable and every grain of dust is visible.

Speaking of details, Abdullah Al Bashir’s depictions of prawns look as though they have just emerged from the water.

Syed Abul Barq Alvi and Mahmudul Haque’s soothing abstract paintings are also on display, while Shahid Kabir and Kalidas Karmakar present works that transport visitors into another dimension of thought.