Kamruzzaman Shadhin, the visionary behind the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts and Chhobir Haat, is a renowned visual artist hailing from Bangladesh. He is celebrated for his creative works encompassing installations, video art, and performance pieces, which delve into a wide spectrum of social, political, and environmental matters. His distinctive approach involves collaboration with local and indigenous communities, artisans, and active public engagement. Kamruzzaman completed his BFA and MFA degrees from the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University in 1996 and 1999, respectively. His works and exhibitions span the globe, from Dubai to Moscow, and Leipzig to Thailand, and he was honored with the Grand Prize at the 17th Asian Art Biennale in Dhaka in 2016.

Anisuzzaman Faroque is an emerging visual artist who mastered himself as sculptor. His representational and sketchy portrait modeling with clay is one of his outstanding skills. In his art practice line drawing plays a vital role which he picks from the urban lifestyle, and which he incorporates with his creation of postmodern sculptures. Anisuzzaman Faroque has participated in many renowned exhibitions in the country, they are: National Art Exhibition 2015, Asian Art Biennale 2016, National Sculpture exhibition 2018, Asian Art Biennale 2018, won ‘Experimental Best Award’ in Annual Art Exhibition at Faculty of Fine art, University of Dhaka, and ‘Sculpture Best Award’ in 21st Young Artists Art Exhibition 2018. Anisuzzaman has joined Back ART Foundation in Dhaka, as a member in 2016, and has participated in its all-public art projects since then. He was born in Maheshkhali, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh in 1993.

Abdullah Al Bashir is a highly accomplished printmaker and freelance artist with a deep-rooted passion for the world of art. His artistic journey began at the Faculty of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, where he earned both his undergraduate and master’s degrees in printmaking, consistently achieving top honors. Abdullah’s artistry has been showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including prestigious events like the Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh and the Ulsan International Woodcut Printmaking Art Festival. His dedication to his craft has been recognized through scholarships, awards, and studio residencies, and his work can be found in collections worldwide. Abdullah Al Bashir’s art serves as a testament to his unwavering commitment to the transformative power of visual expression.

Joydeb (b.1973, Khagrachari, Bangladesh) has an interconnected performance, painting, and drawing practice that highlights the challenging social and political landscape of Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts. The area is home to eleven indigenous groups including Roaza’s community, the Tripura. His works are tied to the experience of indigeneity, often emphasising the deep and symbiotic connection of these groups with their lands as well as the fight for recognition and rights in a state that has denied them. In Roaza’s line drawings, figures are entwined with the natural world and at times, share the pictorial plane with army personnel, guns, and ammunition recalling the historic military occupation of the hill areas. This presence remains imprinted in the communities’ collective memory with Roaza’s works forming an empowering call to demand autonomy and ensure preservation of these minority cultures.

Rakibul Anwar (b. 1993, Dhaka) is a visual artist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Anwar investigates how urban and rural environments are affected by construction that errs towards the invasive. His expansive drawings are informed by observations of space, people, structures, found shapes, or other subtler things as well as seemingly arbitrary urban planning that continues to alter the cityscape of Dhaka, and its social and common places. 

Ashfika Rahman, born in 1988 in Bangladesh, draws inspiration from her mother’s role as a social worker. Her artistic focus revolves primarily around photography, which she ingeniously recontextualizes through contemporary media such as prints, text, and sculpture. Through this medium, she conducts research and meticulously documents marginalized and oppressed groups within her homeland. However, her approach goes far beyond mere documentation; Ashfika actively engages with these communities, collaboratively sharing their poignant and harrowing experiences – a populace largely affected by disenfranchisement. Tragically, the histories and cultures of these communities face erasure due to the unrelenting and severe policies and ideologies upheld by both the state and the societal elite of the nation. Ashfika’s art serves to not only bring attention to these critical issues but also to illuminate the dire threats posed to humanity itself.

Furthermore, Ashfika’s commitment extends to the establishment of a photography school for children, situated on a boat in her grandmother’s cherished location – the expansive Chalan Beel, Bangladesh’s largest wetland. In this innovative setting, she explores alternative methods of art education, reflecting her dedication to fostering creativity and expression in novel ways.

Alongside her artistic endeavors and social initiatives, Ashfika enriches the academic sphere. She imparts her insights through lectures at prestigious institutions such as the FHNW Academy of Art and Design in Switzerland and the Hochschule Hannover in Germany.

Moreover, her involvement extends to the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute in Bangladesh, where she serves as a faculty member. Her contributions extend globally, as evidenced by her affiliation with the MAPS Images agency in Brussels and other galleries and art spaces, highlighting her international engagement in the realm of art and advocacy.

Afroza is an animation filmmaker and visual artist based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Her ongoing short film project “Song of Whales” is now in the production phase and her feature film “Song of Jhinuk” is now in the development phase with help and support from several climate and marine biodiversity-conscious entities including Team Platform, Alliance Française de Dhaka and French Development Agency. She likes to aim for global quality output rooted in South Asian culture, heritage, and folk tales.