Bangladeshi youths portray the US at 250 through art

With keen fascination, Foysal Bin Haque Mishkat, a sixth grader at Ideal School and College in Mugda, was closely examining the artworks on display at the EMK Center in Dhaka’s Gulshan. 

He stood in front of a painting, titled “Weaving Freedom: America’s 250 years”, by artist Nazmun Nahar Pia. In the artwork, a Bangladeshi woman is seen stitching symbolic elements, including the Statue of Liberty, Mount Rushmore, NASA and the White House in a traditional nakshi kantha.

Asked what he found as special in it, Mishkat said that the idea is unique. 

“This is a great blend of a Bangladeshi motif with key places and institutions of the US,” he added.

Sharing his impression regarding the US, he said the US is a developed country and one of Bangladesh’s important development partners. 

“I heard the US gifted Bangladesh the biggest amount of vaccine during the coronavirus pandemic.”

Mishkat made these comments at an art exhibition, styled “America in Color”, organised by the US embassy in Dhaka to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The exhibition will continue until 31 December, featuring 30 artworks by 29 young Bangladeshi artists exploring freedom, culture, innovation, and the future.

Talking about her painting “A Confluence of Cultures”, artist Nazia Hassan Kabir said that her work blends American Pop Art with Bangladesh’s Folk Art, featuring the Statue of Liberty and Jatiyo Smriti Soudho (National Martyrs’ Memorial). 

“I tried to present the universal pursuit of liberty, using traditional rickshaw motifs for celebrating shared independence and cultural resilience,” she added.

Another artist Jarin Tasnim Sinthia Jaman, in her acrylic on canvas, titled “Independence Hall of America,” added a pond from her imagination, while depicting the Independence Hall in Philadelphia to showcase the American idea of liberty. 

Under the theme “What does America at 250 look like through your eyes?” artists aged between 15 and 35 took part with their original artworks.

Following an open call, 90 artists submitted their 130 artworks from 28 September to 14 October. A total of 30 artworks were selected for display, including paintings, textile works, and other artistic interpretations of American history, cultural identity, and liberty.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Brent T Christensen, and his wife, Deanne Dao, visited the exhibition on Sunday, the opening day.

Brent T Christensen appreciated the participants for contributing to the Freedom 250 celebration, marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Later, while inaugurating the exhibition, Deputy Director for Public Engagement at the US Embassy in Dhaka, Richard A Bruner invited all to visit the exhibition with their friends and family members.