California State University hosted a five-day solo exhibition titled 'Lost Symbiosis' by Bangladeshi artist and graphic design professor Md Harun-ar-Rashid Tutul at its Media Art Gallery from April 27 to May 1. The exhibition featured 24 oil and acrylic paintings on recycled paper mesh and canvas, exploring the fragile relationship between humanity and the natural world. Tutul also delivered a lecture on visual communication to students at California State University, Bakersfield, and a separate showing of the exhibition was organized by the Los Angeles Acting Academy and the local Bangladeshi community at the Church of Scientology in Los Angeles on May 3.
This exhibition matters because it highlights the growing international reach of Bangladeshi contemporary artists and the role of university art programs in fostering cross-cultural dialogue. By bringing an artist-educator from Dhaka University to a U.S. public university campus, the event bridges academic and artistic communities, while the additional community-organized showing in Los Angeles underscores the importance of diaspora networks in amplifying global art voices. The use of recycled materials in Tutul's work also aligns with broader ecological concerns in contemporary art practice.