Art
Finding Their Place in the Sun
Pervaj Hasan, Agony of Intellectual Conflict 4.
“Finding a Voice", an exhibition provoked by the Shahbag Square protests at the Athena Gallery of Fine Arts, features sixteen emerging artists at varying stages of their careers.
Athena decided to organise a workshop from March 16-19 when people were spontaneously congregating at Shahbag during the month of March this year.
All the participants have ties with the Oriental Art Department and Drawing and Painting Department of the Faculty of Fine Art, Dhaka University. Participants include current students, recent graduates and even a handful of associate professors of the Faculty of Fine Art.
The Gallery, started by Zeenat Ikramullah and ..., has made huge efforts to have successful artists like Kanak Champa Chakma guide the aspiring artists. This happens, occasionally, in other galleries too.
The subject of Ujjol Ghose's "Woman Waiting" has a haunted, disappointed look on her face. She appears to be in a state of misery – in the process of waiting but nothing happening as she had expected. She has long raven hair, her skin is an earthy brown; typical of women in the subcontinent.
Mizanur Rahman Fakir's painting features a typical beauty in red sari. Behind her stands a banana tree with a myna bird and shrubs with fleshy pointed, emerald leaves surrounding it.
Ratnashwar Sutradhwar, Grimace of Time 15, acrylic on canvas, 2013.
Azmol Hosen's piece “Journey” shows fine figures of toiling male, displaying their admirable physiques and muscles. The figures in this painting are reminiscent of films like “Gladiator” or “Ben Hur” or figures from artist Shahabuddin's works.
There is then the full blown rose, and a pair of matching pink lips featured in Bubly Barna's "Self Analyses of Contemporary Women." The focus here is on the heart of the flamingo-pink, cabbage shaped rose; the painted lips are also very realistic.
Mohammed Mainuddin's “Hurt Woman”, shows the image of a worn-out, middle-aged face holding on to her cheeks, defeated by the realities of the cruel world. White, black, pink and gray go into the portrait. The woman’s sari is white, and her blouse gray. Her earring and bangles add to the reality of the female form. The wriggles and scratches at the back lend an air of dismay and haplessness.
Mizanur Rahman Fakir's work, using acrylic on canvas, brings to mind the village beauties of Quamrul Hassan's and Qayyum Chowdhury's painting. The sari is a striped, orange one. She combs her hair, with thick, orange, brown bangles adorning her hands which add to her innocent beauty as does the white and orange floral blouse. The bottle of oil, the mirror and the opened, thatched window, completes the air of simplicity and contentment.
Shubho Saha, Collaborations with Intimate Energy 2,acrylic on canvas, 2013. Shohag Parvez's "Kalboishaki" has dark tree branches waving in the gusty wind. Purple lighting strikes a beige sky with emerald and black trees in the background. The thatched houses on stilts and the wash of waves add to the powerful image of nature. In his painting "Collaborating with Intimate Energy", Shubho Shaha draws seven angry, animated hands. The concept of the enemy appears in black and crimson flecks; appearing to be horrifying. This symbolic and enigmatic post-modern creation needs a study of art to appreciate the pitch of emotions of the artist. Sumon Kumar Baridya's "In Search of Natural Beauty of Sylhet" features exotic birch-like trees at two ends of a road. The ones in the distance are naturally more impressionistic and contain splashes of the flat brush. The roads are a creation of burn; sienna, beige, jade and emerald. Abdus Sattar Taufique's painting shows a jet -black figure - a combination of a male and a female face with two red roses in the centre. The background and foreground is that of a path of orange and blue flowers of different sizes with yellow centres. Ramashwar Sutradhwar's painting appears to be a portrait of a nineteenth century European gentleman painted in orange and jet-black. He sports a moustache and goatee. He appears to be making some statement-which is important for him.
Sumon Kumar Baidya, In Search of Natural Beauty in Sylhet 1, watercolour, 2012.
Azmol Hosen, Unknown Journey 1, acrylic on canvas, 2013.
Kamaluddin's “Drummer”, wears a flamboyant coloured headgear while his white uniform bears matching orange lapels as he holds on to a white and orange drum, which he appears to be playing to the best of his knowledge.
Nazmul Bappy's beach scene features bleached white boats with planks. A pearly full moon is shown above the gray and violet sky to complete the scene. The brownish-yellow of the beach sets off fishing equipment carried by fishermen with dexterity.
Syed Fida Hossain's modern abstract creation, showing musical instruments and a red mail-box, is set in beige, green and white tones. The painting is very much an in-vogue creation - in demand with the jet-set.
The workshop provided many benefits to the aspiring artists. During the peak of the uprising in Shahbag and many distractions, artists were given the chance to find a quiet place to work and refocus their energy towards their art. Working with their peers inside the gallery
Sayed Fida Hossain, Dream, acrylic on canvas, 2013.
was a way for them to share ideas amongst themselves while giving them a chance to display their skills to gallery reps and visitors. The three-day time limit also forced them to focus on their strengths as artists – to find the "voice" of their artwork. The workshop, moreover, allowed artists to discuss their art and style with professional visiting artists. Some visiting artists included: Hamiduzzaman Khan, Jamal Ahmed, Ranjit Das, Nasreen Begum, Kanak Chanpa, Maksuda Nipa Iqbal, Shameem Subrana and Bipasha Hayat.
This exhibition was the first time that many of these artists publicly displayed their works in a formal gallery setting. They received an insider's look into how a gallery helps promote an artist and all the considerations that must be taken to put on a successful show. They also learnt about the process of networking with a gallery and how to properly represent themselves in a professional way.
The exhibition will be on display until July 31.
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The Artists
Azmol Hosen belongs to the Drawing and Painting department of Dhaka University. He focuses on realism and shows an affinity for the human figure. His works in this exhibition are focused on the unknown journeys that characterize life of people who are forced to make a life on the streets.
Bubly Barna belongs to the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. Her works focus on the trials of contemporary women in developing their sexual identity. She often puts her own self portraits in her canvases and likes to use cats as a symbolism for sexuality.
Md Mainuddin belongs to the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He is the grand prize winner of the 20th National Art Exhibition held at Shilpakala Academy this year. His works were exhibited at a popular drawing exhibition held at the Dhaka Art Center. His works are mainly figurative and powerfully capture human expressions and emotions.
Mizanur Rahman Fakir is an Assistant Professor at the Oriental Arts Department, Dhaka University. His works for this exhibition were created over a three-day long workshop and are therefore, simple minimalistic folk art renditions of daily village rituals. Strong oriental features distinguish his characters.
Nazmul Haque Bappy belongs to the Oriental Arts Department of Dhaka University and has a talent for using soft colors in mystical landscapes. He has received a full scholarship for his PhD, in Chinese paintings, from the government of China.
Pervaj Hasan belongs to the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. His works focus on the intersections of technology and everyday life. He also has a special talent for portraits.
Ratnashwar Sutradhwar belongs to the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He has a unique style of pixelating his works. The semi-developed forms hint at a play on timing of human reactions.
Sayed Fida Hossain belongs to the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. His works have a preponderance for showing human figures in surrealistic settings. The eyes of his figures are rarely detailed or outlined hinting at a universality of character and identity.
Shohag Parvez belongs to the Oriental Arts Department of Dhaka University and is quickly gaining a reputation for his watercolours and unique strokes. A popular series in his works details the changing mood in atmosphere that comes from a brewing storm. He has a talent for expressing the power of wind through the direction and placement of his strokes.
Ujjal Ghose belongs to the drawing Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He has a talent for painting realistic human forms. He has an exceptional ability to bring out details in human skin tones and enjoys exploring social issues in his works.
Abdus Sattar Toufiq is a lecturer at the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He enjoys using brightly contrasting colors, shapes, and textures to create abstract backgrounds for his figures. In this exhibition, he explores our dependence on religion and love to find meaning from society.
Dulal Chandrow Gain is a lecturer and student adviser at the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He has a talent for shading and textures which brings an almost 3D effect to his works. In this exhibition, his works are reminiscent of ancient cave murals and symbols associated with ancient Babylonian fertility gods.
Kamaluddin is a lecturer with the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University and is also a former grand prize winner of the National Art Exhibition. This latest series focuses on traditional marching bands that still play in the streets of Old Dhaka. He has a talent for portraying realism on his canvas.
Sahid Kazi is a lecturer at the Drawing and Painting Department of Dhaka University. He has submitted two works at the exhibition that show village landscapes. He is currently employed with Walt Disney in Canada.
Shubho Saha is a printmaker who focuses on surreal interpretations of the legend of Adam & Eve. He currently works as an Assistant to Mahmudul Haque in the Safiuddin Printmaking Studio.
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