Rokeya (b. 1958, Chittagong) dwells on the inner bonds between man and woman, and depicts with great tenderness the yearning for life, especially of women. She adds an element of sexuality and mystery in the romantic. Her work has broken taboos, challenged conventions and used artistic ambivalence to depict the crisis of existence. She graduated from the Bangladesh College of Arts and Crafts in 1980, and later did an MFA at Visva Bharati, Santiniketan. Notable among her awards are the Purchase Award, Somerstown Gallery, 4th Biennial, NY, USA (1992), Grand Prize in the 3rd Bharat Bhavan Print Biennale (1995), Bengal Foundation Award in the 13th National Art Exhibition (1998), Honourable Mention in the 9th Asian Art Biennale (1999), Bangladesh Charushilpi Sangsad Biennale Award (2000), Ananya Shirsha Dash Award (2001), and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Award in the 15th National Art Exhibition (2002). Rokeya is a member of the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. In 2005 Bengal Foundation produced a 29 minute documentary on Rokeya Sultana, titled Sudurer Pathik.

Time and Venue: 6.30 PM, Friday, 27 May 2005
Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts
Bengal Shilpalaya
House 275/F, Road 27 (old)
Dhanmondi, Dhaka -1209
Tel : 8123115, 9113115 Fax: 9146111

The exhibition will remain open everyday from 12 to 8 PM until 5 June 2005.