Staff Correspondent
As part of the annual worldwide campaign ’16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence’, the
Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands inaugurated the exhibition “Words from the Heart” on
25 November, at Drik Gallery. Mr Cor Stouten, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, addressed the opening remarks. Lead artist Ms. Fareha Zeba also spoke on this occasion.
Ms Namia Akhtar, Senior Policy Advisor moderated the event.
This exhibition puts forward the result of the five-day art workshop which took place last month with
a team of fifteen artists. The team comprises artists from gender-diverse communities, rickshaw
painters, and contemporary visual artists.
The artist team is composed of: Fareha Zeba, Saidul Haque Juise, TH Tonmoy, Surovi Sriti, Auntora
Mehrukh Azad, Rasel Rana, Monir Hossain, S A Noor Ali, Mrinalini Devi Jordan Aswa, Sharif Hasan,
Zara Rahman, Himel Hossain, Abhijit Sinha, and Miraj Hossain. Saidul Haque Juise curated the
exhibition.
The art workshop produced paintings that reflect stories of the challenges and successes of gender-
diverse communities using the techniques of Rickshaw art, which is considered an integral component
of Bangladesh’s local culture. In this regard, this exhibition touches two themes together – it brings
the Kingdom of the Netherlands’s commitment to diversity and inclusion through an activity that
connects with Bangladesh’s urban folk art and culture.
The exhibition will run every day between 26 November to 10 December from 3 pm to 8 pm at Drik
Gallery.
Netherlands inaugurate “Words from the Heart” exhibition
