Six decades of contemporary art in Bangladesh / Chapter 6 of all 6 chapters

Takir Hossain

Rashed Kamal Russell (1978-) has a passion for portraying lonesome, hazy forms, often delving into melancholy. It seems Russell’s subjects soak up the torment, woes and unfulfilled dreams that are an integral part of our daily lives. The forms are often lanky -- sign of a hard knock life. The figures subtly hint at the many untold stories that lurk in our surroundings. Sometimes Russell revisits the world of greenery, enjoying the serene ambiance.

Mohammad Razwanur Rahman (1978-) is one of the earnest printmakers and has always involved himself with new thinking process. But the artist has also given adequate time for painting. He always likes to play with subdued hue and his paintings accommodate with many tiny compositions and forms. He has a great fascination for geometric forms which have been hugely occupying his paintings. The painter has been greatly influenced by two famous Spanish painters Antoni Tapies and Joan Miro.

Rashid Khan (1980-) has acquired an enigmatic quality in his paintings that works on many levels from the visual to the subconscious. The figures have been promptly drawn and their facial expressions carry miscellaneous moods. His ponderings on art delineate a vast range of themes from reality to fantasy, imagination to imperfection, and sometimes the artist delves deep into a psychological voyage through his surrounding characters. He loans some characters of his art pieces from fiction which he read or sometimes from his imaginative world. Sometimes, Rashid portrays the characters, which have no existence in the real world, which play in his subconscious mind, and where one gets a touch of surrealism. He depicts the figures in different perspectives and diverse modes of expressions — nude, semi-nude figures, figures in pensive mood, figures in close proximity, as well as, their affections, longings, yearnings, conflicts and figural movements are also noticeable in his works. 

Shohag Parvez (1981-) is purely a nature watercolourist, who has a desire for portraying the splendour of nature, serene environment, riverine life, cloudy skies and hilly areas. He prefers seasonal changes, tranquil landscapes, ponds, lakes, mustard and green paddy fields in autumn, rainy days and blue skies. After close observation, it can be comprehended that Shohag’s watercolours are refreshing, thoughtful and provide the viewers a sense of ecstasy. The artist feels that nature has its own rhythm and his main focus is to unfold the pulses of nature.

Tarek Amin (1981-) is one of the passionate printmakers who have been carefully practicing almost all sub-genres of prints. Each genre opens for him a new window where he gets a new flavour of cerebration. Throughout his career, Tarek has concentrated on a very limited theme. Sometimes his mode of expression is figurative expressionism and at times he etched light and forms through the approach of realism.

Shahanoor Mamun (1986-) always tries to communicate with nature. He finds inspiration in the elaborate detailing of glimpses like light filtering through the leaves, sound of river’s wave, the silence of nature, a drop of rain, singing crickets, dense foliage, flora and fauna. Each of these elements contains a new story for him and an invitation to embark on a new journey. In his career, Mamun has developed an individual style particularly in watercolour medium. He prefers the medium firstly and foremostly for its trait of articulateness. The medium’s lucidity gives him a liberty to impart his creativity smoothly. Many of his watercolours have also been done by agile brushstrokes. He possesses adequate insistence and potentials necessary for transforming visual insight of the world into a heart-rending approach.  

Priti Ali (1986-) is an ardent follower of pure abstract expressionism, who is now quite active in Dhaka art scene. Her paintings are very much connected to humans’ affection, ecstasy, anguish and isolation. She is an emotionally charged painter and she draws what she feels from the core of her soul. Her paintings can be explained in many ways where one can find the touch of mysticism; some can get the taste of harmony, melancholy or despair. In her paintings, one feels the lament of a lonely soul, an underlying sorrow or a feeling of bareness. As an intense onlooker, Priti’s manipulation of forms, sprinkled patterns and cognizant brush strokes create a language simultaneously natural and contrived.

Fakhrul Islam Shakil (1989-) prints are considered to be pure realistic and his work zooms in on self-realisation, self-thinking process and self-observation through himself. Most of his works are engrossed with a single figure, which is himself in varied movements. The artist often portrays human forms in both usual and unusual ways.

Sultan Ishtiaque’s (1992-) paintings bear an in-depth analysis into Old Dhaka and the surrounding atmosphere of dockyards. He intimately observes the city’s unplanned urbanisation, ruined richness of heritage, changing socio-political and economic conditions. The diverse activities in dockyards are a prominent focus in his works. He elaborately portrays the ship building process, drudgers engrossed with works, upside down ships and cargos under repair, scrap metals of ships scattered on the ground and plying ships on docks. He also portrays small and big boats in all their possible varieties as well as repairing and maintenance activities around the banks of the rivers. 

About the Writer
Takir Hossain is an art critic and cultural curator. He has been writing on contemporary Bangladeshi art and culture for a long time. His keen interests are on art and literature. As an art critic, his criticisms have been incorporated in many reputed artists’ books, brochures, national and international art journals as well as many other varied forms of creative publication. On many occasions, the critic has presented keynote papers for national and international seminars. He has also graced the position of a jury member in a number of art competitions and carnivals. In his vibrant career he has covered several international exhibitions held in different countries across Europe and Asia.
The writer can be reached at takir75@gmail.com