The Faculty of Fine Art (FFA), popularly known as Charukala, of University of Dhaka (DU) is celebrating its 70th founding anniversary this year. The leading art educational institution of the country was founded on November 15, 1948, by Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin. The institution has so far contributed much to the thriving art scene of the country and the world at large.
On December 10, a grand opening programme took place at Bakultala of the faculty, where the FFA authority honoured four eminent artists –Murtaja Baseer, Syed Jahangir, Mustafa Monwar and Samarjit Roy Choudhury – for their lifelong contributions to fine art. Vice Chancellor of DU Professor Akhtaruzzaman handed over awards to the recipients at the programme.
A grand exhibition featuring 96 artworks by the master painters, alongside renowned and promising artists who were previously and are currently serving as teachers at FFA, are now on display according to Professor Mohammad Eunus, the convener of the exhibition sub-committee. The visitors will have the rare opportunity to enjoy masterpieces by Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan, Aminul Islam, Mohammad Kibria, Rafiqun Nabi, Shishir Bhattacharya and others at the show.
This year, the 70th anniversary programme has been merged with the annual arrangement of Zainul Utshab. December 29 is the birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, the master artist and pioneer of art education movement in Bangladesh. FFA has been organising Zainul Utshab since 2009. Marking Shilpacharya's 104th birth anniversary, Charukala will wear a festive look as Zainul Utshab 2018 will begin on December 25 with a reunion of artists of the FFA. All the eight departments of FFA together with the country's finest artisans will display and sell artworks and crafts at stalls at the fair that will continue till December 29.
Eminent artists, teachers of FFA, DU Vice Chancellor, the Minister of Cultural Affairs and people from all walks of life will place wreaths at the grave of Shilpacharya in the morning of 29 December.
Like previous years, the FFA authority will honour two eminent artists-professors – Susan Collins (UK) and Monirul Islam (Bangladesh) with Zainul Sammanona this year. The DU Vice Chancellor will hand over awards to the recipients. He will also inaugurate the Zainul Mela. Artists will keep the Charukala premises vibrant and rhythmic with their pulsating beats and music in a cultural programme.
“Every year we honour two eminent personalities – one artist and another art educator –with the Zainul Samannona," says Professor Nisar Hossain, Dean, FFA. "This year, we are honouring artist Monirul Islam for his lifelong dedication to art and Professor Susan Collins, Slade School of Fine Art, University College London, who played a significant role in the art exchange programme between Slade School of Fine Art and Faculty of Fine Art, DU.”
According to Professor Mohammad Eunus, another exhibition featuring award-winning works at the annual exhibitions by the students of all the departments of FFA will begin on December 23, and run until December 29. "The best student will also receive Zainul Gold Medal at the same programme," he says.
Zainul Abedin, considered the founding father of Bangladeshi art, was a devoted artist and organiser who invested a great portion of his time and energy into the newly established art institution. His art, forged out of everyday life, left behind a legacy of contextual modernism. As a teacher and master artist, his practice drew inspiration from the soil and the core of our cultural heritage.
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