In a country where every moment feels like chaos, the calming shades of Farzana Rahman Bobby’s art pieces uncover the quiet beauty that lives within our everyday lives. Where most art shows ask you to step in and observe every detail with utmost care, Bobby’s solo exhibition, ‘Sound Within Stillness,’ asks the opposite — it makes you slow down and breathe.
The exhibition, which kicked off on 30 October, explores the subtle rhythms of nature and life. It is open to all till 8 November 2025.
From afar, the shapes and colours appear abstract. However, as you move closer, texture and detail rise to meet you. Lines, paint swirls, and soft brush strokes spill across each corner of the canvas, gradually revealing a depth that stirs a spectrum of emotions in the viewer.
“Every painting here is inspired by my daily life — experiencing nature, happiness, grief, and struggles. Being a school teacher as well as an artist, it’s hard not to feel the chaos closing in. So I try to find my own peace and help others find theirs,” Bobby commented.
Her paintings shift from abstract compositions to strong geometric forms. The artist utilises different media, such as printmaking and paint, to explore different emotions. She intentionally combines both bright and darker colour palettes, expressing how stillness exists not only in calm days but also in our most turbulent ones.
As the artist explores the harmony in nature and humanity, she also acknowledges that the natural order can be disrupted by human interference. Yet, in Bobby’s imagery, there is reconciliation: a return to simplicity, to moments of reflection where nature breathes.
Bobby’s process is deeply meditative. She surrenders to the rhythm of her materials — be it the tools for printmaking or her paintbrushes. She balances discipline and her artistic intuition as she composes her messages through her art. What begins as a silent dialogue in her mind materialises on the canvas.
Her works reveal a shift — a move from fluid, organic forms to structured, geometric divisions. Yet even within these measured planes, the same message of life and nature remains. The detailed textures bring the art pieces to life.
Bobby shared that her work is inspired by nature – she does not imitate their shapes; instead, she channels their inner essence. Similar to how flowers do not rush to bloom, they grow by feeling the light, air, and the quiet turning of time–her art follows a similar pattern.
Furthermore, for Bobby, printmaking becomes an act of contemplation. Layers of colours and lines intertwine like roots in the soil, forming unseen networks, bringing a new image to life.
Bobby captures the fragile balance of peace that lives not outside life’s chaos, but within it. Her art becomes an invitation—to slow down, look closer, and rediscover what it truly means to be alive.
TBS Picks
Blossoms in Wilderness
Medium: Relief process and chine collé
In her ‘Blossoms in Wilderness’ series, Bobby draws inspiration from Dhaka itself. “I collected shoelaces and soles from factories to create an effect that reflects the city’s restless surface,” she explains.
The geometric composition, influenced by the city’s dense architecture, becomes a dialogue between the organic and the man-made. With contrasting colours — cool against warm, growth against concrete — she captures the fragile coexistence of nature and urbanisation, revealing moments of stillness within the city’s constant motion.
Ambient Silence
Medium: Mixed media on handmade paper
The ‘Ambient Silence’ series is the artist’s interpretation of abstract experiences.
“I wanted to give form to silence through textures and shapes — tiny dotted patterns sharing the canvas with larger, softer blots,” she shares.
Each composition begins at the centre and unfolds outward, like a breath expanding across the canvas. These paintings evoke the quiet energy that exists within us — the calm that grows when everything else falls away.
Labyrinth
Medium: Mixed media on handmade paper
The third painting, exploring the intersection of different tree barks, is a meditative piece. It speaks of individuality and connection — how even when we stand apart, our roots still meet beneath the surface.
The intertwining lines suggest that life’s stillness is not emptiness, but a shared pulse running through all living things.
Sketch: TBS
“>
Sketch: TBS
