Shamim Sikder was born in Farider, Bangladesh, in 1952 into a post-colonial world. Her father was an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and had all the ambitions of a middle-class father for his daughter of diligence, hard work and the wonders of bureaucracy.

He was dismayed when she Read More...

Shamim Sikder was born in Farider, Bangladesh, in 1952 into a post-colonial world. Her father was an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and had all the ambitions of a middle-class father for his daughter of diligence, hard work and the wonders of bureaucracy.

He was dismayed when she indulged in drawing rather than her studies, and regularly beat her. It made little difference to Shamim, who became enchanted by the statues in the Buddhist temples and dreamed of another world, of peace and harmony.

When she was six she ran away from home. Days later, 100 miles away from home and in another province, she walked through the marshes in the moonlight and saw the solitary light of a house in the wasteland. It was the home of an army general and his wife, themselves childless, who took her in. They bought her sketchbooks and drawing materials.

Eventually her father found her and relented. He took her home, where she was nurtured by her art tutor at school, and when she was 15 she enrolled at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts in Bangladesh. From there she moved to Dhaka University to study, and in 1976 she was awarded a place at the Sir John Cass School of Art in London.

Between 1980 and 2001 she was a Professor of Art at Dhaka University, during which time she took a sabbatical for two years to work with the renowned sculptor Lee Duli in China.

In 1999 her major work The Father of the Nation, in the gardens of Dhaka University, was smashed by the Taleban, who at the same time issued death threats against her. She was unimpressed, although the authorities took measures to protect her.

Today Shamim Sikder’s work continues to be revered in Bangladesh and in the wider world, where recognition of her ethos and artistry continues to grow.