Life in colour: The painting Music of Life by Kanak Chanpa Chakma is among 30 artworks displayed at an exhibition in Ha Noi.

HA NOI (VNS)— "Female artists in Bangladesh today are no longer confined to their homes. They enjoy an equal position with male colleagues," said Kanak Chanpa Chakma, a painter renowned globally for her depiction of ethnic peoples' lifestyles.

Colours across the Bengal Delta, which opened in Ha Noi yesterday, proves her point. The exhibition features 30 abstract, figurative and experimental works by Chakma and four other female Bangladeshi painters.

"The exhibition doesn't only depict Bangladeshi culture and fine art. It also reflects the achievements of Bangladeshi women," Chakma said.

The artists vary widely in style. Bipasha Hayat is mainly an abstractionist, yet her compositions have a soothing harmony. Shameem Subrana plays with vibrant colours. Maksuda Iqbal Nipa is a well-known painter of abstract oil paintings. Samina Nafies concentrates on rural pottery.

"My understanding of fine arts is perhaps zero. But through the paintings, I can see the use of vibrant colours to express untold emotions, memories and forgotten wild fragrances," said Supradip Chakma, Bangladesh ambassador to Viet Nam. "The painters find inspiration from the fields and mountains of Bangladesh."

All five artists are also engaged in other professional pursuits. Chakma, leader of the group, teaches at a university in Dhaka; Nafies is a government officer. Nipa is a director of a paint producing company and Hayat is a well-known actress. Subrana is the curator and director of Gallery 21, which helped bring the art to Viet Nam.

The exhibition also seeks to boost the 40-year bond of cultural exchange and friendship between Viet Nam and Bangladesh.

"We want to see Vietnamese art displayed in Bangladesh and will try our best to organise exhibitions of Vietnamese painters in our country," Chakma said.

The exhibition will run for three days at the Viet Nam Exhibition for Culture and Art, 2 Hoa Lu Street, Ha Noi. — VNS