Hasura Akther Rumky: The Pictorial Silences of the Soul

Bangladeshi artist Hasura Akther Rumky, known for her unique artistic style, paints in a way that encapsulates the emotions she feels in a specific manner. She is an alumna of the University of Dhaka, earning both her BFA and MFA in the specialized art of Oriental Art.

Rumky's work is achievements in and of themselves, fully integrated and combined- self-containing with the bonds of human bonds, silence, longing, and deep intuition. Her use of raw and organic materials, such as pastel, acrylic, charcoal, and earth-colored pigments of soil, not only showcases her technical skill but also connects her art to the natural world. This connection to nature allows her to craft lifelike and textured visuals that have some feeling, almost as if they were alive. This is coupled with her distinct capacity to unify illusion with earthy textures, which allows her to draw the audience into her realities and their worlds.

Rumky's artworks serve the purpose of deeply meditating and researching oneself and the exterior reality that envelops the world. She often ponders, remembers, and draws from experiences that help guide her while creating her pieces. More often than not, she finds herself walking the path of the real and the unreal.

Rumky's art becomes a vessel or portal through which he expresses and reveals personal truths, both capturing the detail-rich urban surroundings and the boundless inner ocean filled with emotions and feelings. "Strokes on canvas are what I call my journey towards more of me and myself," she details in her concept note, demonstrating how this artistic expression is not limited solely to making artwork, but through the "journey" provided, it allows one to become.

Longing to stay in tune with Mother Nature and death, she draws a connection to natural elements like soil and the colors of sand. The line, "for dust I am, and to dust I shall return," simplifies her guiding philosophy, which is accepting reality and simplicity as it is. In a world that is constantly noisy and fast-paced, her artworks provide stillness and peace—a stillness that is much needed during these times.

Rumky's work has garnered both acclaim and appreciation at a global level and locally in recent years. She has been praised as one of the strongest contemporary artists of our time, owing to her exhibitions, workshops, and residencies throughout Bangladesh and internationally. In 2025, she got the OPSG Award; in 2023, she was given the UNESCO & International Action Art's Cultural Contribution Award; and in 2021, she received the KAHAL Art Gallery Grand Award in Japan. Earlier in her career, she was given an Honorable Mention at the 6th Oriental Painting Exhibition in 2016. Moreover, she significantly impacted the art world of the country when she took on the role of Assistant Coordinator for the Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh from 2019 to 2022.

Rumky strives to obtain peace, joy, and beauty in turmoil throughout her creative practice. She is inspired by the daily hustle and bustle, including the gentle poetry embedded in the cities, sun-drenched leaves, and the breeze that brings hints of hope. Her heart, similar to her art, moves to the voice of Louis Armstrong: "And I think to myself, what a wonderful world."

In Rumky's artwork, she claims art is a mirror and map at the same time—tracing emotion, memory, and the essence of humankind. Her perspective reminds us that silence can convey messages and that real beauty is found in the mundane.