A solo photo show begins at Zainul

By Arif Mahmud - May 17, 2009

Noor Alam’s solo photography exhibition, titled ‘Ballads of the Agonised Souls’ began at Zainul Gallery of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University on Saturday.

Twenty eight photographs are on display at the exhibition that will remain open from 11:00am to 8:00pm till May 22.

A.E.A. Muhaimen, managing director and also the chief executive officer of BRAC Bank was present as the chief guest. Mustafizur Rahman Khan, adviser of Bangladesh Thalassemia Hospital, Professor Waqar A Khan, president of Thalassemia Centre (Shishu Hospital) and photographer Dr Noazesh Ahmed among others were present as guests.

Shampurna, Pintu, Anika, and other children fighting the disease inaugurated the exhibition by launching a book titled ‘Ballads of the Agonised Souls’.

The book is priced at Tk 500 and the proceeds from the sales of the book will go to the welfare of Thalassemia patients.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Images on plights of ethnic people

Cultural Correspondent - May 14, 2009

Two ten daylong photography exhibitions titled ‘The Story of Tea Workers’ and ‘Stolen Forest’ organised by Society for Environment and Human Development (SHED) are being held simultaneously at Drik Gallery in Dhanmondi.

 ‘The Story of Tea Workers’ includes photographs of Philip Gain that he took in different tea gardens with the tea workers in focus. Around 60 photographs, portraying the daily lifestyle of these workers, have stirred the interest of the visitors to the exhibition, as they create pathos in their mind. Possibly the most highlighted photograph is the one where an elderly female worker is sharing her house with a cow.

The exhibition also enthrals the visitors through the scenic beauty of the gardens, where some photographs are in panoramic view. The exhibition ‘Stolen Forest’ is a dual photography exhibition by Ronald Halder and Philip Gain. The exhibition focuses on the perilous condition of the country’s natural forests. Through the images, Ronald and Philip have shown the gradual destruction of Sundarban, forests in Chittagong Hill Tracts and especially, the Sal forest in Madhupur.

The photographs create awareness among the viewers that the country is rapidly loosing its forest patches and many of them have already been razed. The photographs on the hill tracts and on Sal forests show the miserable conditions of the destruction of eco-system of those regions. While presenting images of the endangered flora and fauna and the plights of the ethnic forest people, the photographers also did not forget to include the natural beauty of the images in their photos.

The exhibitions, inaugurated on May 10, will remain open from 3:00pm to 8:00pm till May 19.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Oriental paintings at Zainul Gallery

Rahad Abir / May 11, 2009

A group painting exhibition, organised by the ‘Oriental Painting Study Group’ is being held at Zainul Gallery of the Faculty of Fine Arts of Dhaka University. The exhibition, inaugurated by Professor Abdus Sattar, the head of Oriental Art department on May 8, will remain open from 11:00am to 8:00pm till May 15.

Twenty one members of the group have participated for the first time in the exhibition and are displaying 27 of their artworks. Among the participants, Malay Bala, a teacher of the Oriental Art department, is displaying the painting ‘Shakuntala-13’. The largest wash painting in the exhibition is based on the greatest Sanskrit poet Kalidas’ protagonist Shakuntala. The painting shows Shakuntala deeply involved with her companions in the forest.

Including eleven wash paintings there are also some artworks in watercolour, oil on canvas, miniature painting, calligraphy, charcoal, poster colour, pencil drawings and mixed media in the exhibition. Most of the paintings have women, plants, portraits, still life and moments of life as their themes.

Purnima Mondal presents an artwork titled ‘Indian Miniature’ and Asrafa Siddiqua has worked on calligraphy. Sinthia Arefin’s ‘Conversation’ on pencil drawing, Sumon Baidya’s ‘Tea Stall’ on watercolour and Khairunnesa Tushi’s ‘The story of shoe’ on mixed media draw the attention of the viewers.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Celebrities for acid survivors

Purple and ASF to hold a fundraising exhibition

The Daily Star / May 11, 2009

On the occasion of the 10th anniversary (on May 12) of Acid Survivors' Foundation (ASF), the organisation is collaborating with Purple, a monthly English magazine, and holding a painting exhibition, says a press release. Proceeds from the exhibition, featuring artworks by celebrities, will go to ASF funds. 

Participating artists are acclaimed writer/director Humayun Ahmed, actress Bipasha Hayat, actor-admaker Afzal Hossain, singer-interior designer Nasim Ali Khan, ad executive Neville Ferdous and news presenter Mishu Rahman (also the editor of Purple). Though they have attained fame in different fields, these celebrities share a passion for the arts and for some of them, this is the first exhibition of their artworks.

The exhibition will be held at the Standard Chartered Bank, Gulshan Avenue, Dhaka, starting from March 17 to 22. Standard Chartered Bank is sponsoring the venue for the event. Participating celebrity artists will attend the inaugural on May 17. Artworks are priced between Tk 5,000 to 20,000. 

Purple editor Mishu Rahman said that Acid Survivors' Foundation is engaged in a mission that is necessary and has acquired acclaim internationally. Purple is eager to highlight the advancement of Bangladesh to the world and this exhibition would definitely generate positive energy among those who are fighting for this cause, and those who want to speak out against acid violence by helping ASF.

ASF has been working towards helping acid victims and generating awareness against the crime since 1999. The ultimate goal of the organisation is to eliminate acid violence from Bangladesh.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

Space & Decor at Kaya

By Khamin / May 6, 2009

A dual art exhibition titled ‘Space & Decor’ by Bishwajit Paul and Raton Sarker is being held at Gallery Kaya in Uttara. The exhibition was inaugurated on May 1 and will remain open from 11:00am to 8:00pm till May 12.

Fifty-seven artworks including seven sculptures are being displayed at the gallery. Fifty artworks are made of terracotta, glazed ceramics and engraved wood and the sculptures are made of cement casting and wood.

The artwork titled ‘Dressing-2’, ‘Face & Masks’, ‘Love’, ‘Family’, ‘Oppression’, ‘Ador’, ‘Daughter-Wife-Mother’, ‘Savagery-2’ and ‘Resurrection’ are among fifty artworks of Bishwajit Paul. In his artworks Paul has tried to present the emotion of people and their different activities in society.

His terracotta artwork titled ‘Snake Charmers’ draws viewers’ attention. Two bede women are walking to market for displaying the snakes.The artist Bishwajit Paul has worked on terracotta and the sculptor Raton Sarker has worked for his seven sculptures in detail by the cement casting.

The sculptor Sarker has presented women and children in different modes which are made of cement casting. His sculptures include ‘On the way of light’, ‘Woman in nature’, and ‘Just after bath’.In his work titled ‘Replica-4’ three Children are playing in water. The sculptor has tried to describe a haven for the Children.

Both artists have completed their Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rajshahi University and have completed their Master of Fine Arts from India.

Source: http://www.newagebd.com

Trying to make sense out of nonsense

Installation by two up and coming artists at Drik

Karim Waheed / May 6, 2009

Opening the door to the gallery on the second floor of Drik (in Dhanmondi), a gargantuan human form -- made of 5,000 shoe soles -- stretched across the whole floor baffles and awes one. Big labels with words "abstraction," "power," "policy," "decency," "ethics" etc make one stop and contemplate. Initial impact is bold.

Installation exhibitions in Bangladesh are still few and far between. Perhaps, because of that lack of exposure, art enthusiasts here are unhesitatingly keen on art installation. The ongoing exhibition featuring concepts and works by two up and coming artists -- Faiza Faria Ahmed and Golam Dastagir -- at Drik Gallery seems to have garnered positive attention and interest. 

Titled "Sense of Being Nonsense," the display includes installation, paintings (mixed-media) and live performance. 

Faiza, a printmaking graduate from Faculty of Fine Arts (FFA), Dhaka University who is currently doing her masters on Development Studies, says that she believes art should be brought out of the snazzy, air conditioned galleries and incorporated into everyday life, in particular, aspects like generating awareness. But she also admits that she is not yet liberated from the unavoidable human trait, duality. Though she intends to get involved in social development through her art, as an artist she wants exposure too. Her concept and installation at the exhibition highlights her relentless efforts to break free from the buzzwords used in development studies. This is an endeavour to combine her fields of study. 

Outsized green bubbles -- made of newspaper and toilet paper -- hover over the human form (mentioned previously). "They represent elements of the soul," says Faiza. In her paintings, done on pieces of thrown-away cardboard boxes, she has used black and sand. Dastagir, the other participating artist, is also an FFA graduate. His concept and work employs everyday objects in an artistic layout, introducing life and beauty to previously uninspiring objects.

According to Dastagir, the inspiration for his artwork has been drawn from the local urban environment. Bottles with plastic funnels form rows on the floor. The ones with green funnels have organic objects in them, red funnels denote hazardous chemicals, while some bottles which no funnel are meant for the viewers to contribute to. An accompanying painting shows a human with an exhaust pipe attached as a breathing apparatus.The artist hopes that presenting mundane, familiar objects in this way would promote discussions on a range of issues and how art coincides with the society. The installation challenges the viewer to analyse how we treat our environment and re-consider our concept of “waste.”

Harvest Rich has partially sponsored the exhibition and Jaago Foundation (through Adcom) has provided assistance. The exhibition ends today.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

Rhythm of Colours : Bangladeshi painters shine in Dubai

By Takir Hossain, April 7, 2009

Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts has organised a group art exhibition, titled “Rhythm of Colours,” at Hunar Art Gallery, Dubai. The exhibition features works of seven Bangladeshi painters: Qayyum Chowdhury, Hashem Khan, Rafiqun Nabi, Monirul Islam, Nazlee Laila Mansur, Ranjit Das and Maksuda Iqbal Nipa.

Vibrant colours, profound strokes and the characteristic green that defines Bangladesh are vital elements of Hashem Khan's paintings. Khan has contributed immensely to our art for over 40 years. Most of his works are done in oil and some are in acrylic. The dominant features in his works are the lives of the masses, fishing in the rivers, village belles, 'pitha' (rice cakes) making, cultivation in the alluvial soil, rich harvest, boats with sails floating on the rivers, moonlit night and more that define the pastoral life. Various abstract forms also find a place on his canvas. The artist is fastidious about his use of space, which gives an outstanding depth to his work.Rafiqun Nabi is well known for his paintings, woodcut prints and drawings. His paintings delightfully project the serene ambience of nature. Colours usually used by the artist are azure, yellow, ochre, red, black and emerald green -- representing rural Bengal. The colours give a torrential and imposing feel. Nabi does figurative work, painting rural folk, fishermen, kingfishers, broken bridges, buffaloes, boats, crows, wild flowers, people at leisure and gossiping. His landscapes transport the viewer to a higher realm. The artist arranges motifs in different combinations of light and shade.Monirul Islam is easily recognised as he can interpret life's diverse dimensions with his unparallel style, techniques and arrangement where colours, lines, textures and forms blend in synchronisation. His works generally highlight a dominance of mixed media, watercolour, oil, collage and acrylic. When Monir visits Bangladesh, he uses paper (a particular uneven kind that's used in packing baked food or sweets) as his medium and corrugated board. His lines are very provocative and define new dimensions. At times His works appear technique-oriented. Hope, memory, dreams, nightmares and yearning are common themes in Monir's works. 

Ranjit Das is celebrated for his flamboyant style and thought-provoking themes. From the beginning, Ranjit's works have been close to the bucolic countryside and the rural way of life. A large number of Ranjit's works depict villagers with domesticated and, often, wild animals. Their passion, pain, pleasure, bliss, contentment and dreams emerge on his canvas. All his works have in the background a story, which is familiar to us. His works give the viewer a real picture of our socio-political and economic structure. A figurative painter, Ranjit's works are distinguished for their disciplined, mindful and imposing use of colour with the compositions of semi-abstract and symbolic patterns.Maksuda Iqbal (affectionately known as Nipa) is an upcoming painter who has been trying to carve a niche in our arena of art. She likes to experiment with colour in all its various facets. Texture gives a distinct look to her work. Nipa applies colour directly, piling up thick layers on the canvas. She concentrates more on the application aspect. This creates a hallmark for her canvas.

The exhibition ends on April 9.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net

Sanat Kar’s satirical images

By Takir Hossain / April 6, 2009

Sanat Kar is one of the noted figures in Indian printmaking. He has added a new dimension and given a novel look to contemporary Indian art. Kar was born in 1935 and grew up in Calcutta (Kolkata). Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts in Dhaka has organised a solo exhibition of Sanat Kar, now on at Bengal Gallery in Dhanmondi. 

During Kar's formative years in the '50s, in the Calcutta art circuit, the blossoming of Indian art was in full swing. Kar and his comrades formed a group called 'The Artists' Circle.' Kar established himself in the contemporary printmaking medium in West Bengal. He began experimenting with etching in the early '60s and created various images with innovative thoughts. NEXT>>>>>

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net