The birth anniversary of Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin is being observed in a scaled-down manner this year at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University, with no Zainul Fair and no Zainul Award ceremony. Unlike previous years when the celebration spanned three days, the programme will be limited to a single day.
Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Professor Md. Azharul Islam Sheikh, told bdnews24.com that preparations for the Zainul Fair could not be completed due to the prolonged closure of the university. He said students from all departments usually participate in the fair by producing artworks, but that was not possible this year. He also confirmed that the Zainul Award will not be given.
Another teacher from the faculty, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial preparations had been underway but were later halted due to recent political instability. The teacher added that the Zainul Fair has been held regularly since 2009 and its absence this year marks a significant departure from tradition.
The one-day programme, titled Zainul Birth Anniversary 2025, will be held on Monday and includes placing a wreath at Zainul Abedin’s grave at 10:00 am, an exhibition of artworks by faculty members at 11:00 am, and a memorial lecture at noon. In contrast to previous years, the campus will not host folk art stalls, bioscope shows, or displays of traditional crafts such as earthen dolls, sola pith artwork, embroidered quilts, and student paintings.
Zainul Abedin, born on December 29, 1914, in Mymensingh, was a pioneer of modern art in Bangladesh and widely known for using art as a form of protest and social expression. He died on May 28, 1976.
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