FARIDA ZAMAN
Dr. Farida Zaman’s practice is distinguished by its lyrical portrayal of Bangladesh’s riverine landscapes, folk traditions, and the everyday lives of its people. Working primarily in painting and drawing, she combines expressive colour with fluid line to create compositions that celebrate rural life, cultural memory, and feminine identity. Her celebrated Sufia series reflects the emotional richness and resilience of rural women, while her line drawings draw extensively from Bengali folk motifs, transforming indigenous visual traditions into a contemporary artistic language.
Born in Chandpur in 1953, Farida Zaman studied Drawing and Painting at the Institute of Fine Arts (now the Faculty of Fine Arts), University of Dhaka, graduating in 1974. As an ICCR scholar, she completed her Master of Fine Arts at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India, in 1978, before earning a doctorate from Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan, in 1995. Alongside her artistic practice, she has made significant contributions to art education, serving as Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, Chair of the Department of Drawing and Painting, and currently as Supernumerary Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka.
Over a career spanning five decades, Zaman has held eight solo exhibitions and participated in more than one hundred group exhibitions in Bangladesh and internationally. Her contribution to Bangladeshi art has been recognized with numerous honors nationally and internationally. Additionally, two movies were made on her life, Joler Silpo Monjuree (Water World) in 2006 and Jol Godhuli in 2004.
Her works are held in significant public and private collections, including the Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh Bank, Bangabhaban, Fukuoka Art Museum (Japan), Kusan International Art Gallery (Republic of Korea), and numerous private collections in Bangladesh and abroad.
Major Accolades:
1st Prize in Painting, Baroda, India
Young Artist Award (Gold Medal) at 4th Young Artists Exhibition
Commendation Award, 5th Triennial India, New Delhi, India
Cultural Award from the Australian Government Consisting of one month visit to Australia
National Book Center Award for Children Book Illustration, Bangladesh
International Life Membership Award from “Salon de Tokyo”, Japan
U.G.C. Scholarship, Bangladesh-India Cultural Exchange Programme
Gold Medal, Excellent Artist of the World, Beijing Olympic (2008)
Ekushey Padak, Govt. of Bangladesh (2020)
Sultan Swarna Padak, Shilpakala Academy, Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020)
