What makes a visual artist tick in the cacophony of your typical modern existence, which in hindsight has the tenacity to make one increasingly distracted? One of the answers lies with the recently declared winner of the second iteration of the 2025 East London Art Prize, Laisul Hoque. This all-media art prize competition received 900 submissions from artists and collectives living or working within London’s ‘E’ postcode this year. Laisul won £15,000 (over $15,000) and the opportunity to host a solo exhibition at the Nunnery Gallery in Bow, scheduled for 2026, owing to his interactive installation art piece “An Ode to All the Flavours” (2024), which was selected from 12 shortlisted artists.

The Department of Theatre and Performance Studies at Dhaka University is set to stage a new play, "Pakhider Bidhansobha” (The Parliament of Birds), from February 7 to 10 at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA).

Lokman, the founder of Dhaka University's Mime Action and the Institute of Mime and Movement has been amplifying unheard voices through his performances with the slogan "Let the unspoken words speak". Today, he is bringing “Laal Michhil” to the stage of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy to captivate audiences with his solo act.

When I was merely three, my mother, being a history major and a sibling to freedom fighters, took it upon herself to ingrain the Liberation War and the birth of Bangladesh into my mind. As a result, I grew up learning about “Shangshaptak”, the legendary sculpture representing the spirit of our Liberation War, by the renowned sculptor Hamiduzzaman Khan. I felt like I had hit the jackpot when I got the opportunity to meet him and learn from him during my third semester of the Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) programme. Finally, 11 years later, I experienced an exhibition dedicated entirely to him.

Theatre group Together We Can recently staged their silent performance, “Humane Dog Squad”, at the Rangpur Shilpakala Academy during a festival organised by Rangpur Podatik. The performance, which has previously been showcased in Dhaka, aims to promote empathy towards animals through artistic expression.

Each year, "Dhaka Makers" returns with the promise of celebrating Bangladesh’s rich artisanal heritage. This is our city’s grandest attempt at presenting a craft fair as the pinnacle of urban sophistication. This is not just any ordinary roadside haat where artisans sell their work at reasonable prices. It is an "experience" so refined, so exclusive, that one must pay Tk 300 just to step inside and breathe the artisanal air.

In the ever-evolving Bangladeshi dance scene, Motmainna Moni craves to leave a mark with her grace and poise. The young dancer age-old practices of Bangladeshi dance with a contemporary edge.

The ongoing "Dhaka Makers 3" is showcasing the vibrancy of Bangladesh’s contemporary art scene while also serving as an exhibition for both traditional and contemporary crafts. Through a series of hands-on workshops, participants have been introduced to the timeless techniques and motifs of Bengali craftsmanship, allowing these age-old traditions to thrive in a contemporary setting.

The stage was decorated with peacocks and butterflies, and amidst these colourful presences were the talented students of Kanon, a specialised institution of the Autism Welfare Foundation (AWF), with their vibrant mediums of artistic expression.

The Bangladesh Tree Protection Movement (BTPM) arranged the 51st consecutive day of the ongoing sit-in demonstration yesterday, in collaboration with the POBA, Prottasha (an anti-drug organisation), Work for a Better Bangladesh Trust (WBB Trust), and Panthakunja Probhati Sangha at Panthakunja Park, located opposite the Kathalbagan slope gate in Karwan Bazar.

For the first time, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy is set to organise the Munier Chowdhury National Theatre Festival, with a 15-day, production-based theatre workshop already underway across the country in three phases.

Originally intended for release on his death anniversary, January 14, a special tribute video titled “Bohumatrik Selim Al Deen” will now be premiered tonight at 9pm on the official Facebook pages of Dhaka Theatre and Bangladesh Gram Theatre.

Theatre troupe Aranyak Natyadal has organised a month-long festival to commemorate its 53rd anniversary this year, featuring a series of performances and events. The celebrations will take place at the Mahila Samiti Auditorium and the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA), beginning tomorrow.

The classic Orwellian allegory has been adapted and directed for stage by Jaganmoy Paul. The play will be preceded by the certificate-giving ceremony of the 47th batch starting at 6:30pm. The entry pass can be collected at the entrance of the Shilpakala Academy.

After a brief suspension, Bangla Academy has published a revised list of winners for its prestigious Literary Award 2024. The finalised list was announced yesterday night, following a reevaluation meeting by the Bangla Academy Executive Council.

The words, "What you touch, you change. What you change, changes you," perfectly capture the essence of "Nalini", an exhibition by French-Brazilian artist and printmaker Julia Lebrao Sendra. Hosted at Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) in Dhanmondi, this thought-provoking exhibition delved deep into the fragile relationship between humans and their environment, using the Buriganga river as both a subject and metaphor.

The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy initiated its efforts to encourage and foster the practice of sculpture in 1982 by organising the first sculpture exhibition. This year marked the sixth edition of the national-level sculpture exhibition, showcasing 178 artworks by 159 artists across various categories. A total of 13 awards, including 10 honorary ones, were presented during this year’s event.

The topographic beauty of Bangladesh owes a debt to its waterbodies. Being a delta embellished with rivers, natural canals, wetlands, lakes, swamps, ponds, and fountains that flow into the Bay of Bengal in the south, the beauty of our land knows no bounds. The spirit of water flows through the veins of Bangladeshi people and the survival of the entire nation revolves around the waterbodies. Thus, our way of life, livelihood, and pretty much everything is centred around water. These ever-familiar images of rural Bangladesh and its people are powerfully portrayed on artist Zannat Keya’s canvases.

If Bangladesh is symbolised as a tree, then the Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Indigenous peoples are its five leaves. Once a leaf is uprooted, the beauty of the tree is harmed — this was the heartfelt, pluralistic essence of the message conveyed during a cultural protest gathering organised by the Indigenous Artists' Unity yesterday.

They are both threatened by the construction of ramps for the Dhaka Elevated Expressway (DEE).