A month-long prints festival, organised by Kala Kendra and the Kibria Printmaking Studio, is currently under way at the Kala Kendra premises in Lalmatia in the capital.

Two of the three separate events began on May 1, featuring artworks created with different printmaking techniques.

Kala Kendra is hosting a special exhibition titled ‘Pioneers of Prints’ featuring 40 artworks by four renowned printmakers: Safiuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Kibria, Rafiqun Nabi, and Monirul Islam. The exhibition will continue until May 23.

The showcase includes Safiuddin Ahmed’s iconic wood engraving prints, while Mohammad Kibria’s lithographs—composed of line, texture, and range—express a new artistic language of printmaking. From Rafiqun Nabi’s large-scale colour prints depicting realistic visuals to Monirul Islam’s abstract works, the exhibition reveals the depth and ecstasy of early Bangladeshi printmakers.

On the third floor of the building, the Kibria Printmaking Studio organised the 14th Kibria printmaking fair. The fair comprised 15 organisations, including the printmaking departments of Dhaka University, Khulna University, Rajshahi University, the Islamic University in Kushtia, and Rabindra Maitri University.

Participating printmaking studios included Chittagong’s Ayana’s Atelier, Uder Printmaking Studio, Bengal Foundation, Safiuddin Printmaking Studio, Cosmos Atelier ’71, Factory Art Space, Majumdar’s Print Land, and Kalni Art Space.

The nine-day fair, which ends on May 9, featured more than 500 artworks created through diverse printmaking mediums. These works are being sold at affordable prices for collectors.

As part of the festival, an exhibition of contemporary prints will be inaugurated at the venue on May 12.