Independent artist collective Colours has opened its latest group exhibition, ‘In Quest of Peace’, at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD). The show, inaugurated on December 6, brings together nearly 50 new works by eight members of the collective.
Eminent artist Professor Mohammad Eunus, Chairman of the Art Bangla Foundation, attended the inauguration as Chief Guest. Architect and Bengal Foundation Director-General Luva Nahid Chowdhury and former Dhaka University professor Syed Azizul Haque were present as Guests of Honour.
Colours, founded by artists who studied and graduated together from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, has now reached its 12th edition. What began in 2016 as a reunion-led reflection on shared artistic potential has evolved into an annual platform that highlights the group’s continued growth.
Over the past nine years, the collective has used its exhibitions to reconnect with audiences and with one another, transforming long-standing friendships into a space for dialogue on contemporary art practice. This year’s edition continues that trajectory with a wide range of mediums and stylistic approaches.
Among the artists, Farhana Afroz Bappy presents contemplative abstract works rendered in watercolour and subtle illusion, while Farzana Islam Milky incorporates everyday materials such as newspaper to create emotionally resonant textures. Their practices represent two distinct yet complementary modes of abstraction.
The exhibition also features ceramics strongly this year. Monira Sultana experiments with terracotta and unconventional pigments to develop a bold, exploratory visual language, while Rehena Yasmin brings classical ceramic techniques to life with renewed vitality in her terracotta pieces.
Rebeka Sultana builds intricate compositions using recurring forms and motifs, producing a disciplined visual structure. Rifat Jahan Kanta turns towards subconscious imagery, painting gardens of colour that emerge from near-monochromatic depths.
Shayla Akhtar contributes dynamic semi-abstract and expressionist works marked by movement and vibrant applications of colour. Meanwhile, expatriate artist Sharmin Siraji returns to Bangladeshi nature, revisiting lotus and water-lily motifs with a sense of rooted nostalgia.
Open to all, In Quest of Peace runs from December 6 to 10 at La Galerie, open daily from 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm.
