Classical dance in Bangladesh has long been associated with discipline, hierarchy and years of rigorous training. It is rarely viewed as a space for those who did not follow the traditional path from an early age. With the Ekushey Padak, the country’s second-highest ranking civilian award, in the field of dance now attached to her name, Arthy Ahmed’s work is being recognised for both her performances and her broader vision of inclusivity within classical practice.

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) inaugurated “Sangkalan” on February 20, an exhibition displaying the 21st February special publications and archives in different districts of Bangladesh.

The production was performed today (Saturday) at 11 am at the base of the Raju Sculpture by Dhaka University Natya Sangsad. The play was written and directed by second-year DU student Mubashshir Mahmud Nibir.

Titled “Sangkalan”, the exhibition will open on February 20 at Galerie Zoom inside Alliance Française de Dhaka in Dhanmondi. Running through February 28, the show examines how vernacular print media — from magazines and literary supplements to pamphlets and posters — became instruments of resistance, documentation and collective identity in the decades following the Language Movement.

Bengal Shilpalay recently presented the outcomes of its S M Sultan Art Conservation Project, a research-led initiative dedicated to preserving the works of one of Bangladesh’s most celebrated modern masters.

Titled “Nodir Shuta” (Rivers’ Thread), the project was created by French transdisciplinary artist Clémence Vazard and developed during her residency under the Villa Swagatam initiative at Brihatta Art Foundation.

“Death is a metaphor for life. We usually live to the fullest because we will die soon. If death is always a part of our life, then why do we die each day?” — Farzana Ahmed Urmi

The event will take place on tomorrow (February 14) at the Bangladesh Military Museum, beginning at 7:30 am with musical performances welcoming the arrival of spring.

Gallery Chitrak is currently hosting “In Search of Heritage: A Travel to Varendra”, a group exhibition by some of the country’s most celebrated artists, led by Professor Emeritus Rafiqun Nabi. The exhibition draws from their recent journey to the Varendra region of Chapainawabganj and surrounding areas.

Some cartoons now appear more as tools of self-promotion for specific parties rather than critiques of the system. With so much political drama unfolding, one question persists: why is there so little interest among cartoonists in tackling election-related issues through their art?

Dhaka, February 7, 2026 — On Saturday evening, Chhayanaut organised its much-anticipated Dance Festival at the Chhayanaut Auditorium. Held on 24 Magh 1432 at 6:15 pm (Bangladesh time), the programme offered a rich and soulful engagement with movement, rhythm, and heritage.

Dey played a central role in modernising jatra pala, working consistently to make the form socially relevant while retaining its folk roots. He later served for a long period as president of the Bangladesh Jatra Shilpa Unnayan Parishad, advocating institutional recognition and professional dignity for jatra practitioners.

The timeless tragedy Oedipus by Greek playwright Sophocles is set to return to the stage at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, as Driesshokabbo Theatre continues its regular run of the production.

In the cultural arena, veteran actress Farida Akhtar Babita, legendary late musician Ayub Bachchu, folk singer Islam Uddin Palakar, and pioneering rock band Warfaze have been selected for the prestigious award.

Directed by Azad Abul Kalam, the production approaches Tagore’s symbolic text through a contemporary lens, stripping away ornamental abstraction to foreground a blunt question: what happens when education trains conformity instead of thought?

Among the headline projects is “Ikka”, a courtroom drama pitching Sunny Deol against Akshaye Khanna. Deol plays a firebrand lawyer in a role that echoes his performance in “Damini” (1993), while Khanna takes the opposing stand. The cast also includes Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome and Sanjeeda Shaikh, signalling a prestige legal drama aimed squarely at mass and OTT audiences alike.

Originally written in 1959, Pinter’s “The Applicant” examines the dehumanising structures of modern capitalist systems through the framework of a job interview. The adaptation highlights how institutional power often reduces individuals to objects of control in the name of discipline and professionalism.

From the outset, Rangamancha has taken on two parallel creative projects. One is a stage adaptation based on stories from Humayun Ahmed’s “Misir Ali” series, a psychological thriller that remains one of the most influential works in Bangla popular literature. Rehearsals for the production are already underway.

Dhanmondi Lake began as part of a natural water system before being reshaped through planning decisions that accompanied the growth of the neighbourhood. Over the decades, it has absorbed new roles as a recreational space, ecological corridor, and social meeting ground. The exhibition traced these shifts with care, presenting the lake as an accumulation of layers formed through use, intervention, neglect, and attachment.

Out of 7,125 submissions, only 60 films made the cut. Representing 44 countries, the list includes just one Bangladeshi entry, “Scarlet Echoes”, written and directed by young filmmaker Hemantaa Sadeeq. The film is set against the backdrop of Bangladesh’s historic July 2024 mass uprising.