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Showing posts with the label Ruhul Abdin

Artist observes Bangladesh lockdown whilst wins National Portrait Gallery lead in UK

Ruhul Abdin was born in Bangladesh, brought up with six siblings, spends lockdown in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and becomes lead artist for the National Portrait Gallery's project to celebrate 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh in Britain. RUHUL’S CHILDHOOD Ruhul and his siblings emigrated to the UK in 1993. They settled in Darlington, north east of England, in the county of Durham.   ‘We had an interesting kind of couple of years growing up in a very, very white working class neighbourhood. It wasn't that much like East is East , but it wasn't that far off the style. It was interesting, colourful, there's lots of racism.’ His father had two wives   and they were living in two separate houses in Darlington. ‘I’m one of six children, you know, all these kind of crazy narratives that come with that. I mean -  I'm one of six and I have six half siblings.’ As a 13 year old he read a book and ever since he got excited about education and architecture. ‘I was very lucky… I had some g