Artist Farida Zaman gets Sultan Swarna Padak

Artist Dr Farida Zaman, also an honorary Professor of Fine Arts, Dhaka University (DU), has been honoured with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's Sultan Swarna Padak for the year 2020 for her outstanding contribution to art.

Dr Zaman received the award from State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Swapan Bhattacharjee at Narail's Sultan Mancha on Monday evening.

After receiving the award, Zaman said, “I am very delighted to get the Sultan Swarna Padak. I had an opportunity to meet artist SM Sultan when I was young at age. I was highly encouraged after talking to him.”

Sultan Swarna Padak is an annual award given by the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on the birth anniversary of the legendary Bangladeshi artist SM Sultan.

On the occasion of his 96th birth anniversary on January 27, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy organised a discussion on his life and activities.

Born on August 10 in 1924 in Narail, SM Sultan died on October 10 in 1994.

Dr Farida Zaman graduated from the department of Fine Arts, Dhaka University (DU) in 1974 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She received her Master's in Fine Arts in 1978 from Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, India. Dr Zaman received her doctoral degree in 1995 from Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal.

In a career spanning five decades, Dr Zaman has displayed her artworks in eight solo exhibitions - held in both Bangladesh and abroad. She has also exhibited her art works in more than 100 group exhibitions. She has participated in art workshops in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Baroda, London,New York, Hong Kong, Beijing, Seoul and Fukuoka besides other places around the world.

Dr Zaman's artworks have been collected and exhibited in galleries located in Japan, Korea and Bangladesh.

Narail/Forhad/AI