EXHIBITION
Bangladeshi art canvassed
Dyuti Monishita visits the grand annual art exhibition at Saju Art Gallery, this year featuring 107 artists
Saju Art Gallery plays a pivotal role in the art world of Bangladesh. The gallery’s Annual Grand Group Art Exhibition has been hosted here since 1977, a platform for many famous artists of today.
This year’s exhibition features 107 artists, and the number of artworks displayed is 169.
According to Ramij Ahmed Chowdhury (Saju), the gallery owner, artists are selected every year by a committee of veteran art critics, according to the merits of their works. The number of featured artists varies every year and the gallery will likely display their latest works, but may also include ones from a few years back, depending on the committee. The said committee do their jobs admirably – this year’s exhibition is an absolute success.
The gallery – divided into two rooms on either side of the second floor of Gulshan-2 DCC Market – includes both older and younger artists in their annual group exhibitions. They try to display the works of both veteran artists like Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin and S M Sultan, as well as upcoming new artists who are not very well known amongst art enthusiasts.
Among the artworks displayed, there are a few which stand out more than other ones. One of them is Quamrul Hassan’s ‘Prayer-1’, which portrays a bearded man saying his prayer, with his hands cupped in front of him in the act of devotion. But looking closely, the cupped hands resemble hooves. And looking closer still, it becomes clear that the artist is satirically mocking religious fanaticism.
Another notable work is by Abdus Satter, called ‘Remember’, which resembles ancient Sumerian artworks, but in watercolour. Watercolour paintings have found their way back, and younger artists have taken a lot of interest in it.
Other than paintings, there are art installments as well. The eclectic assortment is invigorating. The art instalments brought in include ‘Women of Bangladesh’ by Faruq Ahmed, Mukul Maksuddin’s ‘Wild Elephant’, and Muniruddin Ahmed Tovel’s ‘Atopor Banalata: Swapno Pakhi’.
The works of art have been arranged immaculately, since in group exhibitions there is always a tendency of paintings clashing due to different styles and themes. But the arrangement here was done in such a way that they blended in together harmoniously. The exhibition started on April 11 and will go on till May 12.
The 107 featured artists include: Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Quamrul Hassan, S M Sultan, Safiuddin Ahmed, Mohammad Kibria, Aminul Islam, Abdur Razzaque, Abu Taher, Abdus Satter, Abul Baker Alvi, Abdus Shakoor Shah, Asma Kibria, Anwarul Huque, Alakesh Ghosh, Abdus Salam, Amirul Momenin Chowdhury, AHM Basirullah, Anisuzzaman Anis, Alamgir Haque, Atia Islam Anne, A Momen Milton, Biren Shome, Bideyut Joti Sen, Farida Zaman, Faruk Ahmed, GS Kabir, Goutam Chakrabarty, Golam Sarwar, Hamiduzzaman Khan, Habibur Rahman, Humayun Kabir, Ivy Zaman, Jamal Ahmed, Kalidas Karmakar, Kazi Rakib, Kanak Champa Chakma, Murtaja Baseer, Monirul Islam, Ranjit Das, Rafi Haque, Rebeka Sultana, Syed Jahangir, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Sheikh Afzal, and Wakilur Rahman.
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