Visual artist Farzana Ahmed Urmi narrates time and surroundings through her large-scale portraits created with mixed media on paper, currently displayed at Kalakendra of Lalmatia in Dhaka.

Her solo exhibition, Witness to My Own Absence, curated by Wakilur Rahman, opened on Friday and features more than 50 portraits created in acrylic, pastel, watercolour and charcoal on paper.

The mostly abstract, colourful portraits featured blurred faces, reflecting human emotions, uncertainty, and identities in unrecognisable locations.

Artist Nisar Hossain and art collector and curator Rezwan Rahman attended the inauguration ceremony of the month-long exhibition, which was moderated by Wakilur Rahman.

Nisar Hossain said that Urmi draws what she thinks fearlessly, avoiding market trends.

Rezwan Rahman said that her portraits not only observe but absorb reality, while the audience finds themselves in her works.

Farzana Ahmed Urmi said that these portraits were created between 2017 and 2024.

‘Most of the portraits emerged from special conditions of different political movements, including Free Kajol, student-led mass uprising and others, because time also has a face,’ she said, adding that she was searching for an unknown face – one that allows her to discovers more of herself.

Wakilur Rahman said that the history of portraits is a big part of the history of art and that in the modern era Selfi Culture always forms portraits of our time and conditions.

The exhibition will end on March 2.