Painter Atia Islam no more

The country's renowned painter Atia Islam Anne, known for her work on women's regrets, needs, despair and frustrationis has passed away. She was 64.

She breathed her last at 3pm on Thursday (July 2) while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Dhanmondi in the capital. She had been suffering from cancer for a long time. According to family sources, she will be buried at the Azimpur graveyard in the capital.

Atia Islam was one of the strongest voices in contemporary painting in Bangladesh. Her canvases repeatedly highlight the position of women in a patriarchal society, discrimination, violence, resistance and desire for liberation. She strongly highlighted the issues of women's rights, human dignity and social justice through color and line. That is why she gained special recognition as a feminist artist.

Although she mainly worked in the realistic style, her artistic language was metaphorical, symbolic and satirical. Along with the use of bright colors, the intensity of speech and social responsibility were one of the characteristics of her artistic practice. Women's oppression, social discrimination, human rights violations and political-social crises were the main themes of her paintings.

In the 1990s, she was particularly praised and established her own position among women artists in Bangladesh through her unique artistic language, clear statements and exceptional presentation.

Atia Islam was born in Dhaka in 1962. She earned a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University in 1982 and an MFA in 1985. She was the cultural secretary of the student union of the Faculty of Fine Arts in the 1981-82 academic year.

In addition to practicing art, Atia Islam was also involved in teaching. She served as a teacher of painting at the English medium school Sunbeams. She also established the 'Jhapi School of Art' in Dhanmondi and taught painting to children. She has also served as a judge in painting competitions organized by various organizations including Bangladesh Shishu Academy and the British Council. She also served as a judge in the Eid decoration and various competitions of Prothom Alo.

Her solo exhibitions were held at Gallery 21, Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts and Alliance Française. In addition, her paintings have been exhibited in more than 60 group exhibitions in China, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, France, Myanmar and Bangladesh between 1981 and 2009.

The theme of her first solo exhibition was 'Women and Society'. The second solo exhibition dealt with social and political crises, and the third exhibition dealt with various realities of life, politics and economics. Her journey of winning awards began with winning the first prize at the Junior Red Cross National Art Exhibition in 1976. Later, in 2018, she won the main prize at the 18th Asian Art Biennale in Bangladesh organized by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

In her personal life, Atia Islam was the wife of artist Hasan Mahmud. They have two daughters. She was also the sister-in-law of internationally renowned French-born painter Shahabuddin Ahmed.