Second Impression: Printmaking Returning to the Canvas(10 September – 3 October 2026 Bengal Foundation)

‘Second Impression’ showcases prints and paintings by nine Bangladeshi artists at Bengal Foundation.

 A first impression is immediate and instinctive; a second impression emerges through reflection—as an image gradually settles and reveals its unexpected dimensions.

The exhibition ‘Second Impression’ brings together nine Bangladeshi artists from different generations, ranging from pioneering artists of the 1970s to emerging voices of the 2000s.

At the heart of the exhibition is the relationship between printmaking and painting. Trained in the disciplined, patient processes of matrix, plate and stone, these artists bring their printmaking experiences to oil and acrylic on canvas. For them, painting is not a departure from printmaking but an extension of their individual artistic vision.

While painting often emphasizes direct brushwork, printmaking requires patience, repetition and close attention to structure. On canvas, these qualities reappear through layered surfaces, architectural compositions and incised lines. The structural discipline of printmaking gradually transforms into atmosphere, mood and expressive mark-making.

The exhibition also challenges the idea of an artwork as a single, perfected object. Instead, the canvas becomes an open and evolving field of exploration.

By presenting prints and paintings side by side, ‘Second Impression’ demonstrates how the two mediums can remain interconnected in the hands of the same artist. It is, in essence, the same hand leaving an impression twice.

At a time when individual paintings are increasingly shaped by market-oriented practices in Bangladesh’s contemporary art scene, the exhibition places printmaking alongside painting as an equally significant artistic medium. It invites viewers to consider how an artwork is created, remembered and experienced.

1. Participating Artists

   • Monirul Islam

   • Abul Barq Alvi

   • Shahid Kabir

   • Rokeya Sultana

   • Anisuzzaman Anis

   • Abdullah Al Bashir

   • Farzana Ahmed Urmi

   • Mahmudul Haque (1945–2022)

   • Kalidas Karmakar (1946–2019)

   Organized by: Bengal Foundation