A 'Gravity –Free' World

A Rahman's two-week exhibition from January 18 at the Bengal Gallery has been described as a 'hybrid visual experience' showcasing his works for the last ten years. Living in Rome since 1993, the influence of European artists is palpable. His mind-whirling post–modern work is a combination of surrealism and impressionism. Much of his collages and prints are purely imaginary, and out of this world.

Among his series one is about space, the other is organic. Then there is collage and figure work. In the collage section he has cut pictures from books. His prints depicting human and animal figures are on wood and some on metal sheets. Included in this exhibition is an installation on Dhaka. It contains rickshaws, crammed houses, and reflects the noise, dirt pollution and lack of greenery. The exhibition contains samples of all works of his various series.
 Another series deals with 'agony'. The pain and feeling of loss can apply to both man and animal, says the artist. This has colour-normally he likes to work in black and white. “War” is a predominant theme as it exists in almost every continent, specially Asia and Africa. This is also about the struggle of mankind and how a man must fight to get what he needs.
Strange figures are a part of many of his works. The head of a monstrous fish sits on the body of a pink and orange pig. The animal has an elongated snout. Rahman is fascinated with both animals and humans. This is a collage and a product of his imagination. There is next a huge apple with green and red flecks with the mouth and eyes of a human. The image represents “Force” moving through space. We then see a man overwhelmed with fear. His eyes are large and his face is rounded and his limbs are striped red and blue. It reminds one of Edward Munch's “Fear”. There is then a drawing of men lined up, with squiggles, faces with large teeth and hollow ghostly eyes. Their feet are large, splayed and abnormal.
In another picture are Bangla alphabets and words which are meant to be a creation out of numbers and figures. In another picture we see some figures of birds eating up human beings. We can see the mound of human skulls. The orange and grey birds have long, sharp, beaks. There are then some dancing eyes with flecks and crosses of orange in the backdrop.
In the Geometric series are circles and forms in gray, black and pink. There is also the depiction of a man's head, which is breaking into bets, with the force of living. At the back are ultramarine circles.

A Rahman studied art at Rome University and also did a diploma in fashion design and now stays in Rome for five months each year. In Rome he has studied modern artists like Burri, Mario Skipano, and Lucio Montana becoming enamoured with their minimalist style that concentrated on lines and dots.
Speaking of his favourite artists Rahman mentions Kandinsky, Du Champ, Joseph Bais. To him surrealism is appealing, as it reflects real life. For him Dadaist and Fauvists are close to the soul and mind. Andrew Warhol and Jackson Pollock from the US appeal to him as they too reflect modernity. Matisse and Van Gogh were true painters, whose feelings pulsated in their work, Rahman feels. Picasso and Braque may have made big waves, but they don't quite grab his attention. As for earlier masters like Goya and Rembrandt, one just admires them as simply magnificent and truly nonpareil.
His work reminds one of the creations of Ronni Ahmmed, conjuring up parallel realities through a fantastical exploration of the imagination.