Wakilur Rahman

Wakilur Rahman is a distinguished Bangladeshi painter, printmaker, sculptor, and curator whose practice spans multiple media, including painting, printmaking, installation, and environmental-inspired sculpture. He completed his BFA at Dhaka Art College (now Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka) in 1981 and earned his MFA from the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), Beijing, in 1986.

Since the 1980s, Rahman — a founding member of the politically conscious artists’ collective Shomoy — has addressed social, cultural, and environmental issues through his art. Dividing his time between Dhaka and Berlin, he bridges local roots with international perspectives, creating work that is simultaneously grounded in Bengali heritage and global contemporary practice.

Rahman’s art is noted for its experimental exploration of materials, language, space, and memory. Drawing on traditional Bengali motifs such as water, clay, boats, and calligraphic forms, he blends these with contemporary aesthetics to craft installations and sculptures that evoke delta-region life, ecological fragility, and cultural memory. His conceptual rigor and commitment to installation were evident in his 2024–2025 exhibition Monon Khonon (“Unearthing the Archaic”) at Bengal Shilpalay, where indigenous materials and regional landscapes were reinterpreted for contemporary reflection.

Beyond his practice, Rahman is a committed curator and educator, serving as head of Kala Kendra gallery and visiting faculty in architecture departments, fostering dialogue between visual art, built environment, and cultural heritage.

Wakilur Rahman’s multidisciplinary work — deeply rooted in social awareness, environmental consciousness, and cultural memory — continues to challenge boundaries and expand the scope of contemporary art in Bangladesh and beyond.