A solo art exhibition of artist Azizee Fawmi Khan, titled ‘Ka-Shommondhiyo’ (connected speech), began at La Galerie of the Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD)  from Friday.

Jeremy Opritesco, Chargé d’Affaires of the European Union in Bangladesh attended the opening ceremony as the chief guest.

Azizee Fawmi Khan is a visual artist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. After completing her MFA from the Department of Drawing and Painting, Faculty of Fine Art at the University of Dhaka in 2017, the artist has simultaneously engaged in creating works of art, participating in both national and international exhibitions and artist residency programs, including 18th Asian Art Biennale, 23rd National Art Exhibition, 20th and 21st Young Artists Exhibition conducted at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka. She has also collaborated with contemporary artists and art associations such as the British Council, Britto Arts Trust, Brihatta Art Foundation, Platform Art Space, Dhaka, Bangladesh and Rebel Creatives, Birmingham, UK.

In retrospect, we will see her entire journey of the past five years in her first solo exhibition. Azizee Fawmi Khan is strongly motivated by her childhood and the lives of her predecessors, the heritage of the land she inhabits and the familiar customs that are passed on from one generation to another. Even though the present is radically different from the past that she longs for, "Connected Speech" is her way of reminiscing all that now perhaps only exists inside the boundaries of her mind.

Azizee Fawmi Khan's style merges folk motifs, and local context with a personal take on the impressionistic styles as her canvases portray unblended strokes to create the illusion of memory. Along with traditional practices, Azizee also works with old photographs and historical notions, collaging them with her artistic styles while taking an alternative route to creation.

Hence along with a painting installation and a couple of drawing projects, 15 acrylic paintings can be found, exploring the shared journey of the artist, her associates and the preceding generations. 

The exhibition will be open to all till 31 December from 3 pm to 9 pm except Sunday, read an AFD media release.

BK