Drik Picture Library observed its 36th founding anniversary with the Golam Kasem Daddy Lecture titled “Media Genocide in Gaza”. The event was held at DrikPath Bhobon last Friday.

The Oriental Painting Studio will inaugurate the third edition of its signature exhibition, “Guru-Disciple: Disciple-Guru”, today at 5pm at Zainul Gallery, commemorating the timeless bond between guru and disciple in Oriental painting.

The bilingual production, translated into Bengali by Prajna Tasnuva Rubayyat and directed by Gustav Deinoff, will be performed today at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka. On the opening day, there will be two shows — the first at 7pm and the second at 8:15pm.

Bhumi Gallery in Lalmatia inaugurated “Metropolitan: Beauty in Chaos” on August 29, 2025. This duet painting exhibition by architect and artist MM Maksud Biplob and artist Al-Akhir Sarker was arranged by Shilpangan, featuring our overpopulated yet beloved Dhaka city.

Sadhika Srijoni Tania, accompanied by researcher–performer Simon Zakaria, has carried the haunting resonance of ancient Bengali “Charyapada” across Europe throughout August, reviving a thousand-year-old tradition in new cultural landscapes. From university lecture halls to radio waves and open-air stages, the pair transformed what is often treated as brittle manuscript material into a living, breathing performance.

Today would have marked the 91st birthday of Mustafa Monwar. The eminent artist and cultural personality passed away at the age of 90 on June 29 this year. Affectionately known as the "Puppet Man", Monwar's work touched generations of Bangladeshis. On his birthday, we revisit this article, originally published on his last birthday, celebrating the legendary artist's enduring legacy.

A performance hits the landmark of being memorable when it offers elements to make the audience think while leaving them with realistic realisations. In the same spirit, the dance drama “Crested Ibises” unfolds a profound meditation on the fragile relationship between humans and the natural world.

“Hawabibi In this City”, a solo exhibition by artist Shaily Shrabonti, was officially inaugurated at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) during the warm evening of last Monday (August 25). Shaily is a Dhaka-based visual artist who holds a BFA and MFA in Oriental Art from the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. Her art reflects the struggles, resilience, and success of women in patriarchal societies.

In the history of Bangladesh’s cultural sphere, few figures shine as brightly as Mustafa Monwar. Painter, puppeteer, television producer, art educator—his artistry has touched nearly every medium, but it is his devotion to children that has left the deepest mark. Generations have grown up enchanted by his puppetry, his vision of an art that is joyous, fearless, and nourishing for young minds.

That night in December 1921, while his comrade Muzaffar Ahmed slept, Nazrul scribbled furiously. By the morning, the air was charged with something new. “Bolo Bir, Chiro Unnoto Momo Sheer…” (“I am the Rebel Eternal, / I raise my head beyond this world, / High, ever erect and alone!”) he declared. It was not merely the birth of a poem but of a cultural rupture. Critics would later see in “Bidrohi” a break from the ‘Rabindric’ serenity that had long defined Bengal’s literary landscape—a new current of words forged in fire, laced with the clang of rebellion.

Dhaka’s theatre scene, long in search of renewal, is finding fresh energy in Spardha: Independent Theatre Collective. Since its establishment on September 12, 2018, the troupe has earned a reputation for uncompromising productions, presenting works such as “Jibon O Rajnaitik Bastobota”, “4.48 Psychosis”, “Bismoykor Sob Kichu”, “Ami Birangana Bolchi”, and “Tobu-o Jege Uthi”. More than conventional performances, each production has served as a pointed provocation—inviting audiences to confront social realities with sharper attention.

For the first time, Dhaka University hosted a campus stand-up comedy show titled “Hashir Adda”. The event was held last evening at the TSC Auditorium, where a packed audience turned up in overwhelming numbers.

Bengal Shilpalay inaugurated “Shotoborshe Sultan” yesterday, a solo photography exhibition by Nasir Ali Mamun, held as a tribute to legendary Bangladeshi artist SM Sultan on his birth centenary.

The Dhaka unit of theatre troupe Bibarton Jessore’s children’s wing brought Rabindranath Tagore’s classic play “Rother Roshi” to the stage last evening, marking their second theatre production. 

Galleri Kaya inaugurated the “Celebrating Murtaja Baseer” exhibition yesterday, honouring the novelist, researcher, numismatist, poet, filmmaker, and art critic — with August being the month that observes both his birth and passing.

A dance performance titled ‘Dilnewaz’, inspired by a 1940s Urdu short story by Rahat Ara Begum, will be presented by Shadhona - A Center for Advancement of South Asian Culture.

Bangladesh’s art world bid farewell to one of its brightest luminaries with the passing of Professor Hamiduzzaman Khan (1946–2025) on July 20. A remembrance ceremony was held today at the Hamiduzzaman Sculpture Park, located on the premises of Summit’s Gazipur 464 MW Power Plant, where family, friends, colleagues, students, and admirers gathered to honour his legacy. Widely regarded as the country’s foremost sculptor, the artist’s life’s work left an indelible mark on the nation’s cultural and artistic landscape.

Theatre troupe Shobdo Theatre is set to present the third performance of its acclaimed play Socrates on Friday.

The “Selim Al Deen 76th Birth Anniversary Theatre Festival” concluded on Monday (August 18) with an award ceremony and the staging of the play “Nimojjon” at the Nilima Ibrahim Auditorium of Bangladesh Mahila Samity.

Bhumi Gallery in Lalmatia is currently hosting a five-day group art exhibition titled “Aranyarekha”, featuring 12 Bangladeshi artists. The artworks stem from a workshop visit to the Sundarbans. The inauguration ceremony was graced by distinguished personalities, including artist Prof Mohammad Eunus as chief guest and Prof Dr Md Anwarul Islam, Chief Executive of WildTeam Conservation Biology Center. Bird specialist Inam Al Haque presided over the event.