Ceramic songs of the soil
Talented artist Ashim Halder Sagor's third solo ceramic sculpture exhibition titled “Moving Roots” was inaugurated on May 20 at Gallery Twenty One, Dhanmondi.
The exhibition evokes a universal appeal. Sagor, with his devoted artistic pursuits and experiments, has created his own language of art over the years. The artist serenades the songs of soil and soul while mingling his artistic efforts with creating arts and sculptures.
His art practice began as a traditional ceramic artist. In 2008, while attending Raku workshops in Dhaka and Chittagong, he was exposed to this Japanese art form that has its roots in ceramics. Bringing a new aspect to his practice since then, he created unique, mechanical and self-modeled Raku and ceramic sculptures. This exploration of techniques and use of China clay was to create non-functional and experimental pieces that trace our elementary needs, common crisis circling contemporary life, ecology, environment, climatic change and global terrorism.
Aside from everyday use, Raku has become popular for its aesthetic value both in the East and the West.
Sagor envisages the affluence of nature in close harmony with living beings, and at the same time, he expects human beings' sensible approach to nature. Thus, following the artistic contemplations and efforts, he creates pieces of art and sculptures that are suggestive of human beings' close affinity and co-existence with nature.
In his third solo exhibition, the artist has depicted some ceramics sculptures assimilating portraits of a female and a child alongside his own one, with the elements of nature like flowers, birds, saplings, plants and branches of trees. The colours and composition coupled with the textures formed on the surface of the works are scintillating. His love for flowers and birds unequivocally demonstrates his utter passion of Bangladeshi folk arts.
The artist is greatly motivated by the saying -- “Know Thyself”. He frequently questions who he is and what message he wants to relay through his arts. The outcome of his thoughts sometimes helps him develop his works anew. He follows different art media such as installation, performance and digital video to express his feelings. His sculptures entail a powerful combination of avant-garde, surrealistic and classic forms.
Sagor was placed first, securing first class in both his BFA (Honours) and MFA from the Department of Ceramics, FFA, University of Dhaka. He has participated in many group art exhibits, workshops and residencies both at home and abroad. He was the youngest Bangladeshi artist at the 14th Asian Art Biennale where he presented an installation with his short film “Dhopa”.
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