I painted this when I was 13 years old. It shows a woman in a traditional Bangladeshi saree, standing against a simple grey background. Looking back at it now, I think I was drawn to something familiar, something I had grown up seeing, understanding, and recognising without needing to explain it. You may also notice that my signature is a little messy. That is because I was still developing my handwriting at the time, which makes the painting feel even more personal to me now. This is one of my selected works because it feels like a small record of where I began. It is simple, imperfect, and honest but it carries a part of my early connection to painting, identity, and home.
Through the Commotion (2023)
I kept Dhaka in mind when I painted “Through the Commotion”. The painting shows a crowded train moving through the city, with people travelling during the festive season. I have personally never experienced travelling like this myself, but I have definitely seen versions of it in person: the rush, the crowd, the movement, and that very familiar feeling of everyone trying to get somewhere. I wanted the train to feel busy and full of life. The colours move from yellow to blue, almost like the train is carrying people away from the noise of the city towards somewhere calmer and more familiar. Some people are shown sitting on top of the train, which may look surprising to some viewers, but in Bangladesh, scenes like this are not completely unfamiliar during very busy travel periods. There is something quite human about it, people finding their way home, even when the journey itself looks difficult. This is one of my selected works because it reminds me of Bangladesh in a very honest way. It is crowded, imperfect, and full of movement, much like the city I had in mind when I painted it.
The Drifter Series (2023)
“The Drifter Series” was born during an intense 72 hours over one weekend, when I simply could not stop painting. It became a series of four pieces: Elysian Dawn, Zenith, Crimson Horizon, and Nocturnal, each showing the same boats drifting through different times of the day. At the time, I think I was drawn to the idea of escape. Not in a dramatic way, but in the way we sometimes want to pause, drift away from everything, and sit with our own thoughts for a while. This is one of my selected series because it came out so naturally and urgently. It feels simple, but it carries a very personal memory of that weekend, when one painting turned into four, and “The Drifter Series” came to life.
Cassandra (2023)
“Cassandra” was inspired by the story of Cassandra from Greek mythology, which I first connected with through Homer’s Odyssey. She was a princess gifted with foresight, but cursed with being ignored. She could see the truth before others did, yet no one believed her warnings. I used acrylic pour because I wanted the colours to feel like the inside of her mind: unsettled, layered, and full of movement. The way the colours swirl and collide reflects that feeling of seeing too much, knowing too much, and still not being heard. This is one of my absolute favourites because Cassandra’s story feels ancient, but the emotion behind it still feels very human: truth, intuition, disbelief, and the loneliness of being dismissed.
Maudlin Thoughts (2023)
“Maudlin Thoughts” came from a very strange and vulnerable moment in my life. The idea for this series started during a long stay in a hospital ER. Being there made me notice how exposed people can become in those moments: tired, scared, waiting, thinking, and trying to hold themselves together. The word “maudlin” usually means overly sentimental or self-pitying, but for me, it captured the state I saw around me then. Even ordinary thoughts felt heavier than usual. What made it bizarre was how quickly the whole series appeared in my mind. Within seconds, I could almost see the creative process clearly, as if my mind had found its own way out before I had even fully understood the thoughts. It felt raw, sudden, and well, a very cathartic experience!
Quilt of Time (2024)
“Quilt of Time” was created as a study of three women with distinct features and appearances. This art series marked the start of my own exploration of painting portraits, studying the human form, and thinking more intentionally about the subjects behind my work. It was also one of the early steps towards creating my own conceptual art series.
Precarious Mind (2024)
“Precarious Mind” is my absolute favourite work so far, and I think it will always remain one of my top favourites. I created this painting when I was unwell, after waking up with a strange dream and a very clear image in my mind. It felt urgent, almost like I had to paint it before the feeling disappeared. What makes this piece so personal to me is that it came from somewhere I could not fully explain at the time. It was surreal, intense, and slightly unsettling, but also very honest. This is also why I find it so difficult to part with. Precarious Mind feels too close to me to let go easily, so it will stay with me until I find the right home for it .
State of Ponder (2024)
“State of Ponder” is Chapter 08 of my series, The “Echoes of My Ballad”, which I have been working on over the past two years. The series follows an emotional arc through different states of desire, conflict, memory, survival, and self-recognition. Each chapter holds a different part of that story, almost like a page from a private book. This piece feels central to the series because it captures the pause between everything that has happened and everything that is still to come. It is not the loudest chapter, but it carries a lot of weight. There is restraint in it, but also a sense of knowing. I created “State of Ponder” in 48 hours, and it became one of my selected works because it holds the mood of the series very clearly.
Maudlin Thoughts: Re-emergence (2025)
“Maudlin Thoughts: Re-emergence” was painted over the original Maudlin Thoughts, which I created in 2023. After two years, it felt right to return to it, not to erase what was there, but to let it become something else. This piece became a continuation of the original thought, but with a different kind of energy. This painting is about the kind of rebirth that does not arrive gently. Some versions of ourselves come back softer, but others are forged through power, anger, and survival. That is what this painting became: not a quiet return, but a forceful one.
Vino Veritas (2025)
“Vino Veritas” is a personal favourite because it feels controlled and unsettled at the same time. It was created around the tagline: sometimes one must drown to find balance again. That is what draws me to it, the reminder that balance is not always peaceful. Sometimes it comes after losing your footing first.
