Young artists, mostly female, portray raw visuals of contemporary times through their artworks at a group art exhibition titled ‘A Thousand Tales’ at Safiuddin Shilpalay in the capital’s Dhanmondi area.

Mentored and curated by artist Ripon Kumar Das, the exhibition was organised with the aim of showcasing the students’ artwork to a wider audience.

Featuring 23 artists, the seventh edition of the four-day exhibition was opened on Friday.

The event showcases 52 artworks created in watercolour, charcoal, acrylic, pastel, oil, and mixed media.

The artworks vividly capture diverse facets of modern life, social struggles, and collective memory.

Ritika Rahman Tupur’s acrylic-on-canvas painting, titled ‘Golpo Gujob,’ shows friends chattering in a canteen.

In her acrylic-on-canvas painting titled ‘Lemon Tree,’ Mantaqa Tahiyat merges the stories of victims from 1971 and 2024 who were tortured by armed forces. Her other watercolour, titled ‘Metaphysical Connection,’ shows a devotee in front of Goddess Durga during the Durga Puja festival.

Adding to the exhibition’s contemporary weight, artist Rudaba Rufiada Hasan’s artwork, titled ‘The Guardians,’ shows a university staff member who was concerned about student protesters during a clash with police during the student-led mass uprising.

Nabila Hossain Samara’s oil pastel work, titled ‘Nurjahan Begum,’ features a street portrait of a woman crying on the street. The composition is so direct that the audience feels as if she is telling her story directly to them.

Besides, Irtiza Tafannum’s acrylic-on-canvas painting, titled ‘Anatomy of a Sin’ shows a mentally ill pregnant woman lying down on a street.

The exhibition gathers youth from different backgrounds and displays diverse visuals of contemporary times, sociopolitical matters, and women’s issues.

The exhibition will end today.