Shameem Subrana

Shameem Subrana is a Bangladeshi painter and curator whose practice engages deeply with social issues, memory, identity, and contemporary human experience. Her formal artistic training began at Chittagong Art College and continued at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, where she completed both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Fine Arts.

Driven by a commitment to culture and community, Subrana initiated one of Dhaka’s earliest artist-run spaces in the late 1990s by transforming part of her Dhanmondi home into a grassroots gallery. This initiative evolved into Gallery 21, an independent art space dedicated to supporting emerging artists and broadening access to contemporary art in Bangladesh.

Her first solo exhibition, What I Talk About When I Talk About Life (Gallery 21, 2016), explored themes such as child marriage, displacement, migration, climate change, and social justice — reflecting her belief in art as a catalyst for awareness and dialogue. Across her work, Subrana employs bold colour palettes, expressive figuration, and symbolic layering to articulate collective memory, human resilience, and the emotional landscape of present-day realities.

As both an artist and curator, she plays a dual and influential role within Bangladesh’s cultural sphere. Through her paintings and her dedication to sustaining Gallery 21, Shameem Subrana continues to champion under-represented voices, strengthen community engagement, and foster a more inclusive and dynamic contemporary art ecosystem.