Exhibition
A fine blend of flora and fauna
Fayza Haq
Rakeeb Hassan, whose solo exhibition of oil on canvas and paper is on at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, studied fine arts at Kenya. After holding several solo exhibitions at Kenya in the course of nine years, he went on to display his works at London and Edinburgh. In France he worked with a choreographic project at Montpellier and La Rochelle. His works have been displayed in Switzerland and Montreal. More exhibitions by the artist were held this year at Kenya and Mumbai. Rakeeb has been residing and working in Canada for the last seven years.His series Somatic Enigma combines nature and figures. Mystic Metaphor also has forms mingling with nature. Entries from Ritual of the Rock, exhibited in France earlier, are also on display at Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The artist finds drama in the daily germination of seeds, flowers, creepers and insects. Like many Bangladeshi artists, Jibanandadas' poetry has influenced him greatly. Although his work is stylised, he is inspired by folk art. Rakeeb is also moved by African masks. His paintings remain semi-abstract, with a penchant for both flora and fauna. His initial works, their lines and colours, were mostly created around impressions of masks. Gradually he started bringing in images of his home in Bangladesh, with land masses combined with rivers. In his recent paintings he features himself as well. In Mumbai his exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery drew around thousand viewers every day. Being in touch with Indian artists like M.F. Hussain and Adibakar increased his experience and revved up the competitive spirit in him. His 16th solo exhibition is also his first in Bangladesh and in it he has mixed his recent works with the earlier ones. In one of the paintings, Mystic Metaphor XVI, Rakeeb has combined the trunk of a tree with a human figure. Leaves and branches of trees also come into the composition. "When I take an image, I don't take the entire form but a fraction of it and mix it with other forms around me. I also get inspired by imaginary shapes," says the artist. Mystic MetaphorIII has cubist fragments of birds symbolising the loss of our dreams. Eagle's eyes are combined with human ones. Human forms and multi-storeyed buildings are depicted as floating away. The blue painting of the male and female forms in Ritual of the Rock deals with the myth of how a woman turns to stone on being touched by her admirer. The woman turning into rock is again portrayed in the next painting which is even more abstract. This is in reds, blues and greens. In the next painting a chopped tree trunk brings in human forms in a surrealistic way. In all Rakeeb's paintings one sees the impact of pensiveness of masters like Picasso and Miro. The exhibition ends today.
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