Bangladesh Heritage Foundation

Dali and Others : An Exquisite Show of Art

Professor Nazrul Islam

International art shows are now regular events in Dhaka. 21st February, the Shahid Dibosh (Martyrs Day) was declared as the International Mother Language Day by the UNESCO in 1999, because of the initiative of two expatriate Bangalis and the Government of Sheikh Hasina. Among many events, art exhibitions are the ones to celebrate the Mother Language Day.

It is laudable that the Bangladesh Heritage Foundation and Bangladesh Research and Publications Ltd. have decided to organize an international exhibition of art on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day. The exhibition is titled Dali and Others, as it includes an original print from Salvador Dali (1904-1989), the great Spanish artist. Another important entry in the exhibition is an original lithograpy by the French Modern Master Andre Derain (1880-1954). Both these works are from the personal collection of Ambassador Waliur Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Heritage Foundation. The Dali piece is from the artist's surrealist series on the 'Persistence of Memory' in which 'Limp watches melt in an eerie landscape'. Derain was one of the co-founder of Fauvism, however, his work in the present exhibition is a remarkably charming female nude.

The exhibition brings together works of distinguished artists of South Asia, Europe, North and Central America and of course Bangladesh. Nepal is represented by a strong group of 10 artists, including such veterans as Shashi Bikram Shah, with three examples of his powerful horses. India, Jordan, Honduras, UK, and Italy are represented by one artist each while Malaysia is represented by three artists, Suzlee Ibrahim, M. Safwan Ahmad and Asliza Aris. Nel Ivancich and Obaidullah Mamoon are from the USA. Three artists each represent Greece and Germany.

Bangladesh is represented by nine painters including such big names as Quamrul Hasan, S.M. Sultan, Monirul Islam, Shahabuddin, Samarjit Roy Choudhury, Nasim Ahmed Nadvi, Naima Huq, and young artists like Dewan Mizan, Anisuzzaman Anis, Sharbari Roy Choudhury and Habiba Akther Papia. Mizan's contributions is particularly notable, it is a portrait of the Present Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her son Joy. It is based on a photograph of the two taken in 1972. Shahabuddin is represented by his characteristic powerful drawing of an athlete in motion. Monirul Islam comes with a beautiful composition of lines, simple forms, and minimal calligraphic elements. It is an exercise in tension and balance, Monir's mastery. Quamrul Hasan's litho of a female profile and a bird is elegant and of classic quality. There is also a Sultan of his typical rural folks fishing in shallow water. Samarjit Roy Choudhury's large acrylic painting captures village imageries of homesteads, river and boats with a romantic couple reminiscing in the foreground. It is a semi-realistic work. Nasim Ahmed Nadvi's Black Butterfly is an exercise in form with minimum colour. Naima Haque, his wife, is also a minimalist, in brownish shades. Her use of the safety pin, is a symbol of connectivity and security. Anisuzzaman Anis is a very talented young artist specializing in the print media. Erlier he was using the building bamboo scaffoldings as a subject of his graphic designs. During his stay in Japan he has moved on to depicting urban disasters, such as impact of typhoon, earthquake and urban life and form. Habiba Akther Papia is the only sculptor in this exhibition. Her small bronze of a brick crushing female worker is illustrative of the harsh life of poor urban women.

On the whole the show entitled Dali and Others is a befitting contribution to the observance of the International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh Heritage Foundation and Bangladesh Research and Publications Ltd. Deserve appreciation for organizing the exhibition. Visitors will get a rare opportunity of viewing some exquisite original works of art, including that of Dali, Derain, Siedl, Quamrul, Samarjit, Monir and Shahabuddin among others.

Professor Nazrul Islam : Art Critic. Chairman, University Grants Commission of Bangladesh.