Artists and academics at a discussion on Sunday demanded promoting the country鈥檚 legendary artists globally as Bangladesh has great artists like SM Sultan, Zainul Abedin and Quamrul Hassan.
They also said that nor the government neither the art institutions had organised any event to honour the legendary artists of the country.
Speakers made the comments at the opening ceremony of a seven-day event marking the birth centenary of the late master artist SM Sultan at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University.
The event, titled Artist SM Sultan Centenarian Fest 2024-25, has been organised jointly by Charupith Art Research Institute and Terracotta Creatives, in association with the FFA of Dhaka University, SM Sultan Memorial Gallery, and Dhaka University Film Society.
Renowned artist Abdus Sattar inaugurated the event while cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki was present as chief guest of the event which comprised seminars, exhibition and film screening at the venue.
Eminent photographer Nasir Ali Mamun, sculptor Mahbub Jamal Shamim, filmmaker Nurul Alam Atique and curator of the festival Mrittika Kamal spoke at the ceremony which was chaired by the dean of the FFA Professor Azharul Islam Sheikh.
Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that artworks of Sultan are amazing like his character.
鈥極ur organisations are obsolete. Most of the artworks are going to rot in different museums and government centres for the lack of curating and conservation,鈥� Farooki said.
The government is working hard to strengthen the narrative of the July mass uprising because the ousted regime is investing huge money to hide the July massacres, he said.聽
Nasir Ali Mamun said that the cultural activists of the country expected that the ministry of culture affairs would initiate a national centenary festival on SM Sultan.
Nurul Alam Atique said that SM Sultan was still relevant because he was connected with nature.
The event also featured 178 artworks, most of them paintings, including 13 sculptures and 7 ceramic pieces and a special exhibition of child artists featuring 63 artworks at the Zainul Gallery of the FFA.
The exhibition will end on August 16.
Sheikh Mohammed Sultan, popularly known as SM Sultan, was born on August 10 in1923 in Narail and died on October 10 in 1994 in Jessore.
