Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Cultural Affairs Adviser, has stated that the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy should treat all forms of arts equally, including music, theatre, painting, photography, and film production, in order to establish the academy as the country's cultural hub.
"I have always been critical of the Shilpakala Academy because I believe it did not treat all forms of art equally. As a result, the academy was unable to serve as a hub for all forms of art. The adviser stated that the academy should treat all forms of art equally in order to establish itself as the centre of art and culture.
On Thursday evening, the adviser spoke as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the 24th Nobin Shilpi Charukola Prodorshoni-2025, which was organised by the academy's Fine Arts department in its National Art Gallery auditorium.
The academy's director general, poet Rezauddin Ahmed Stalin, presided over the event, and the academy's director, Abdul Halim Chanchal, delivered the welcome speech.
Professors Abdus Sattar and Mostafizul Haque attended the event as special guests.
Farooki highlighted the Shilpakala Academy's recent development, stating that the academy had previously lacked a separate film department. It started collaborating with the theatre department. Now, restructuring efforts are underway to create a separate department.
Regarding the art exhibition, Farooki stated that "competitions are both inspiring and challenging for artists. Awards can motivate people, but a lack of recognition should not cause depression.
He urged the academy to create a culture of more frequent exhibitions and events to discover hidden talents.
Following the discussion, the adviser opened the exhibition by cutting the ribbon of the art gallery.
About 681 artists aged 21 to 35 submitted 1,393 artworks for the exhibition. The jury board selected 215 artworks by 191 artists for the final exhibition.
The exhibition will be open to visitors daily from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm until December 22.
