Pursuit of Salvation Painting

Shahnaz Sultana (Dolly) was fascinated by nature, its life forces and manifestations in terms of inner turmoil, from a very early age and has tried to continuously replicate it in her works. She was inspired by her elder brother, who like her, had a natural ability with sketching and painting. Her childhood was in Islamabad, Pakistan and later in Dhaka, Bangladesh where she moved in 1973 after the country became independent in 1972. She completed her Master's Degree at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in Sociology though during her student period and subsequent years has primarily continued to devote herself to the world of art, challenging herself to learn new forms of expression. Shahnaz sees art as a vehicle of exploration, a medium that allows her to represent and challenge the issues that her soul and womanhood in general, are perpetually struggling with. As an avid amateur painter hers has not been an easy journey; often beset with family responsibilities or social commitments. She has used her art often to question, to highlight, or to explore alternative worlds of pleasure and pain, often on the same canvas. Her messages can be apparent and bold or hidden in multiple minute icons where ‘the dots have to be connected by the viewer’, in her words. She has stayed for extended periods in Malaysia and Australia, enabling her to observe and incorporate other cultures and responses into her artworks to create a means of expression which is both global and deeply personal. Shahnaz has exhibited her work in Bangladesh and abroad. She won the Platinum Art Prize 2019, Thailand. In 2020 she got the Best Entry Award for an International Art Exhibition on covid-19 from the Indian Royal Academy of Art and Culture, India. She has been the chief judge for various children’s art contests, encouraging younger talent. Her solo exhibition ‘Kalantor’, held in 2022, at the Safiuddin Shilpalay in Dhaka, Bangladesh was a resounding success with the public and the city’s art circle. Shahnaz's main medium are drawings/sketches on paper, watercolour and acrylic/oil on canvas. Her work has been collected in Bangladesh and abroad. She is married, with one daughter who remains her largest source of energy and inspiration.