Syful Islam | A Dua for the Oppressed

Mohammad Syful Islam (b. 1946, Meherpur, Bangladesh) is a painter, educator, and pioneer of Islamic calligraphy painting in Bangladesh. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he has worked across landscape, still life, portraiture, figurative art, Bengali and Arabic calligraphy, and modern composition. In 1982, he founded Cezanne Art School and Cezanne Art Gallery in Dhaka, mentoring generations of
artists and contributing significantly to Bangladesh's art scene. His work is inspired by Qur'anic text, the riverine landscapes and village life of Bangladesh, and a lifelong appreciation of nature.
Now based in Ontario, Canada, he continues to paint, teach, and contribute to the local arts community through exhibitions, mentorship, and art education. His practice combines disciplined composition, expressive colour, light, and calligraphic rhythm, reflecting a lifetime devoted to artistic excellence, cultural heritage, and an enduring passion for sharing art across generations.

 

My practice moves between landscape, still life and Islamic calligraphy. Through these forms, I explore how home is remembered, sustained and reimagined through faith, family and cultural memory. I work primarily through painting on canvas, beginning with drawing, observation and the arrangement of colour, light and rhythm. In calligraphic compositions, the proportion and movement of Arabic letters guide the image as strongly as landscape or everyday objects do.
For 1001 Stories: Colours of Faith and Home, I present three works that form a journey from personal memory to shared responsibility. My Home Village in Bangladesh returns to the rivers, fields and footpaths of the landscape that formed me. A Table Spread gathers fruits, vegetables and familiar vessels into a meditation on hospitality, sustenance and gratitude. A Dua for the Oppressed brings sacred words into a scene of suffering, expressing prayer, solidarity and hope for people whose homes and dignity are threatened. Together, the works suggest that home is more than a physical place. It may be a remembered landscape, a table around which care is offered, or a spiritual bond with others in hardship. I hope viewers encounter the paintings as three related stories of belonging: home as origin, home as blessing and home as a right held sacred through faith.