“Tolerance is the basis of building and linking societies, in addition to disseminating values of peace and coexistence. Furthermore, the UAE society is righteous, tolerant and keen on humanitarian traditions and values.” “The leadership, government and the people of the UAE are inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s legacy, thoughts, and firm approach to make the UAE an oasis of tolerance, pluralism and diversity, where people can live in an environment of acceptance, respect, and harmony.”
Funan Arts group along with the Mahfuz Canvas from Bangladesh created a remarkable milestone in its artistic journey by organizing “Bijoy,” the artistic celebration of the 51st Victory Day of Bangladesh on 12th December at Dubai International Art Center, Dubai. The meaning of Bijoy in Bangla is “victory” and the exhibition was truly victorious in terms of bringing artists from Bangladesh to UAE as part of the celebration. “Bijoy” is the biggest and the first-ever art event organized by Bangladeshi artists overseas. Funun Arts has collaborated with Mahfuz canvas from Bangladesh to bring original artworks from self-taught artists to UAE. This exhibition proclaimed the message of tolerance and unity with which nations shall build a safe and secure future for their coming generations. Thus, the event was a declaration of victory over all those barriers that divide humanity and will be a celebration of unity. “There is no other land that can host such a union as UAE as this is the land of tolerance where people from different parts of the world live in harmony and peace. Art is beyond all boundaries, and we are using art to bring people together in this wonderful land,” says Shiba Khan, Founder and CEO of Funun Arts.
“Bijoy” featured sixty original artworks from Bangladesh. Most of the artists visited UAE as part of the exhibition and others sent their artworks to be exhibited. Artists from twenty nationalities, who are residents of UAE also joined them in exhibiting unique and spectacular artistic pieces on the theme of love, peace, harmony, and togetherness. “Art translates love in colors. Bijoy speaks the language of love and the greatest opportunity to speak of the love for the land, love for humanity, and love for the people is through the language our artists know best. Hence, this art exhibition is significant in many ways” added Shiba Khan.
The Consul General of Bangladesh in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, His Excellency B.M. Jamal Hossain inaugurated this mega art event. The event was graced by the presence of many eminent personalities in UAE. The Consul General of Bangladesh in UAE appreciated Funun Arts and Mahfuz Canvas in this unique venture and added that this shall mark the beginning of a new era where art, ideologies, and perspectives merge in creating a better world for posterity.
He also expressed his gratitude to the title sponsor – PowerPac along with the organizers for arranging such wonderful record-breaking event and he expressed he is also a self-taught artist who prefers expressionism art, and his most preferred painting medium is only pen and paper. He thanked all other nationalities who also joined with Bangladeshi artists to celebrate the historical 51st Victory Day through this art exhibition. He appreciated the efforts of all participating artists and wish to have more such kind of events which makes the nation proud.
PowerPac (a concern of Sikder Group) was the title sponsor of this event. The Chairman of PowerPac Mr. Rick Haque Sikder and Managing Director Mr. Ron Haque Sikder stated this is a prestigious event to sponsor to show their tribute to the Victory of Bangladesh and this will be the pride for the nation arranging such large overseas art event showing the culture of Bangladesh through the artist canvases. Mr. Ron also added this exhibition with a specific focus on encouraging artists to improve their creations by giving them a global platform and encouraging them to honor other cultures of Bangladesh and their histories through their artworks. PowerPac is one of the largest business conglomerates based in Bangladesh and having more than 70 business ventures around the globe and the founder of Sikder Group – Mr. Zainul Haque Sikder was a brave freedom fighter and very close companion of Bangladesh’s Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. An iconic and one-of-a-kind project of Bangladesh – “Bangabandhu Tri-Tower” at Central Business District (CBD) area at Sector 19 of Purbachal New Township project in Dhaka, which is developing by the PowerPac (a concern of Sikder Group) title sponsor of this event displayed during the inauguration. Where it showed all ultra-modern cutting edge high-tech facilitated township development in this project including 473 meters tall tower and in total of 45 million square feet buildup area in this project.
The opening event was colorful and vibrant with the presence of renowned personalities. “Every event we organize should be unique in one way or another. We are very keen about making it an unforgettable experience for our artists as well as guests. We value and foreground the uniqueness of every land and every culture. “Bijoy” was a blend of many such cultures, and it was definitely a beautiful experience,” says Farah Khan, Co-founder of Funun Arts.
Legendary artist Ahmad Al Awadhi expressed his delight in the concept behind the exhibition and added that it is the need of the hour. “The world needs to learn the language of love again as it is forgotten in humanity’s race for possessions. Initiatives like “Bijoy” remind us that art can be a powerful tool in reminding us about those forgotten values. I appreciate Funun Arts and Mahfuz Canvas and offer wholehearted support in this noble venture.” Says Mr. Rukni
Engg. Maitha Alblooshi, CTO Scrum master at ENBD and an Emirati motivational speaker expressed her views by saying “This is wonderful evening where we can see the artists from different nationalities together. She also added the motivational words “Believe in yourself and follow your dreams”.
Funun Arts has been organizing art events for a decade and are famous for connecting nationalities across the world through art. Their motto says, “coming together is a success, working together is progress”. Funun Arts started its journey with six artists and now they are a huge team exceeding 600 artists from more than 50 countries across the world. The team has been consistently organizing art events, collaborating with different organizations, and making remarkable contributions to the UAE art world. The efforts of the Khan sisters have been praised by many distinguished authorities and both Shiba Khan and Farah Khan were honored with the Golden Visa by the UAE government. They organize all sorts of art events, exhibitions, art talks, panel discussions, art competitions, and many more.
For Mahfuz Canvas, the first largest overseas art exhibition was the “BIJOY” show. Mahfuzur Rahman – founder of Mahfuz Canvas stated that they view this endeavor as their greatest international achievement yet and this is the largest overseas self-taught Bangladeshi artists’ exhibition ever. Mahfuz Canvas is always at fore front to help the self-taught artists of his nation. He also thanked “The Consulate General of Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Dubai, UAE” and PowerPac, the title sponsor of the event for their extending support towards this event.
“It can be best quoted Art inspires us the concept of unity and tolerance and see ourselves as the party of bigger universe.”
