Mahera Khaleque

b. 17 December 1970, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Mahera Khaleque was born at a moment when Bangladesh had been preparing herself to be liberated from Pakistan. Her father died for the country delivering his gift of spirit to others who lived. Khaleque grew up with a sense of courageous spirit of her father and the strong independence of her mother.

Starting her education, in art, at the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University, Khaleque earned an associate degree. In 1995 she moved to the United States for higher studies. Receiving her Bachelors in Fine Arts from York College of Pennsylvania, and her Masters in Painting and in Visual Communications Design from Purdue University, Indiana, she, currently, works as a free-lance artist in Georgia, U.S.A. She has taught drawing and design as a teaching assistant at the Department of Visual and Performing arts, Purdue University, for five years. Although she worked as a graphic designer in Indianapolis she prefers to remain in the academics while continuing to work as a free-lance artist.

Khaleque presents her mixed media work through solo and group exhibits, nationally and internationally. In 2007 she was invited to present her paintings on Acid Attack on Women by the Graduate School of International Relations and Diplomacy at the American University of Paris, France. Her work addresses the issues, such as, environmental pollution, human rights, educational environment in the developing countries. Her invited talks have been focused on the issues that she addresses in her work.

Reading about journalists’ experiences and contemporary war history is her much loved leisure pursuit. However, Khaleque considers traveling as her ultimate hobby.